111th Congress, 2nd Session
An address by Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom to a Joint Meeting of Congress
July 17, 2003
On this date, Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress. Blair had been invited on the occasion of Congress having awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal for his stalwart support of the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Mr. Speaker, my thrill on receiving this award was only a little diminished on being told that the first Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to George Washington for what Congress called ‘his wise and spirited conduct in getting rid of the British out of Boston,’” Blair joked, eliciting loud laughter from the floor and galleries. Blair’s primary message was to express British solidarity with the U.S. in the post-September 11th world. His speech came at a time when many in Britain and America questioned the intelligence that led to the preemptive military strike and occupation of Iraq. Blair, however, resolutely linked Iraq to the war on terrorism and against those states that supported terrorists. “We’re not fighting for domination. We’re not fighting for an American world. . . .,” the Prime Minister said. “We are fighting for the inalienable right of humankind . . . to be free—free to raise a family in love and hope; free to earn a living and be rewarded by your own efforts; free not to bend your knee in fear to any man . . . That’s what we’re fighting for and it’s a battle worth fighting.” Blair was just the 27th foreign individual to have been honored with the Congressional Gold Medal since the Continental Congress had awarded Washington the first in 1776. Including Blair, five British Prime Ministers have addressed Joint Meetings. Winston Churchill was invited to speak three times—twice during World War II and once during the Korean War.
Related Highlight Subjects
Cite this Highlight
Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=397, (December 08, 2010).For Additional Information
Office of History and Preservation(202) 226-1300
history@mail.house.gov
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In this image, Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses a Joint Meeting of Congress from the reading clerk's desk in the House Chamber.
Image courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives Photography Office
Teaching Tip
House Legislation
Have students search the highlight dates and locate reference to any legislative document (bill, resolution, speech, etc.). Ask students to track down the document at a local depository library. Students should research the historical background of the document and make a brief presentation which includes reading all or portions of the document aloud. To locate a nearby federal depository library go to http://catalog.gpo.gov.
