[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 226 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 226

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that a model curriculum designed 
  to educate elementary and secondary school-aged children about the 
                   Irish famine should be developed.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 1996

     Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Frelinghuysen, Mr. Gilman, Mr. 
   Torricelli, Mr. Payne of New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Zimmer, Mr. 
  Martini, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Franks of New Jersey, and Mr. 
   Andrews) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that a model curriculum designed 
  to educate elementary and secondary school-aged children about the 
                   Irish famine should be developed.

Whereas, in 1845, the potato was the staple crop and basic nourishment and 
        sustenance of the people of Ireland;
Whereas a potato blight destroyed most of the potato crop in Ireland between 
        1845 and 1850;
Whereas the famine brought about by the potato blight led to mass starvation 
        over the whole of Ireland and caused the death of more than 1,000,000 of 
        the men, women, and children of Ireland;
Whereas those in the British government responsible for Irish domestic policy 
        were, for varying reasons, consciously indifferent toward the mass 
        starvation of the Irish people, and actively exported the Irish grain 
        crop which could have provided sufficient food for the starving Irish 
        population;
Whereas, after visiting Ireland in 1845, the African-American abolitionist 
        Frederick Douglass wrote that the people of Ireland ``are in the same 
        degradation as the American slaves'';
Whereas many people in Britain, most notably Quakers, were sympathetic and 
        generous toward the people of Ireland during the famine and organized 
        extensive relief efforts for the starving masses;
Whereas the elongation of the potato blight and the lack of aid led to the mass 
        emigration of more than 1,000,000 of the Irish people to the United 
        States during the years of the famine;
Whereas these immigrants and their descendants have made and continue to make 
        profound and lasting contributions to the culture and history of the 
        United States; and
Whereas children in the United States should be educated about the famine in 
        Ireland and its effects: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that the Department of Education 
should develop a model curriculum designed to educate elementary and 
secondary school-aged children about the Irish famine and its effects, 
and that this model curriculum should be readily available to 
educational institutions and the public.
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