Whereas the name Nebraska is derived from a Native American Siouan word that means flat water and is inspired by the Platte River; Whereas early explorers of the Great Plains called the Nebraska region the Great American Desert , mistakenly believing that its vast prairies were incapable of supporting agriculture; Whereas the Platte River Valley provided an ideal corridor for settlers traveling westward along the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails; Whereas the Act entitled An Act to secure Homesteads to actual Settlers on the Public Domain , approved May 20, 1862, encouraged enterprising individuals to consider settling in the Nebraska Territory; Whereas Nebraska was— (1) the first State admitted to the United States after the conclusion of the Civil War; and (2) the only State the admittance of which the President vetoed because of disagreement with the fundamental condition imposed by Congress with respect to giving black men the right to vote; Whereas, by means of the Act entitled An Act for the Admission of the State of Nebraska into the Union , approved February 9, 1867, Congress overrode the veto of President Andrew Johnson, opening the way for the admission of Nebraska into the United States on March 1, 1867; Whereas the admission of Nebraska into the United States led to the further settlement of Nebraska and the construction of the transcontinental railroad westward from the Omaha terminus; Whereas, in 1879, a Federal district court in Nebraska was the site where American Indians were first recognized as persons under the laws of the United States after Standing Bear pleaded, I am a man ; Whereas Nebraska is leading the way for a new innovation frontier where entrepreneurs are engaged in building the economy of the future by establishing and growing great businesses