110 HRES 158 EH: Resolution encouraging the people of the
U.S. House of Representatives
2007-05-01
text/xml
EN
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Whereas in 1780, William Wilberforce was elected at the
age of 21 years to the British House of Commons;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce and his friends were active in at
least 69 different projects focusing on issues such as prison reform,
education, child labor conditions, animal cruelty, and the reformation of the
culture;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce was mentored and counseled by
former slave trader and author of the hymn Amazing Grace
, John
Newton, on the horrors of the slave trade;
Whereas at the time, 11 million human beings had been
captured and taken from Africa to the Western hemisphere and forced into
slavery and bondage;
Whereas at the time, the British Empire controlled the
largest portion of the slave trade;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce devoted his life to the
suppression and abolition of the institution of slavery;
Whereas a dedicated group of like-minded reformers, the
Clapham group, assisted, supported, and encouraged Mr. Wilberforce in his fight
against the slave trade;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce fought for 20 years in the House
of Commons to pass legislation banning the slave trade;
Whereas on February 23, 1807, Britain passed a bill
banning the slave trade;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce helped inspire and encourage those
who fought against slavery in the United States, including political leaders
like John Quincy Adams, spreading a message of hope and freedom throughout
America and the promise of the future;
Whereas Mr. Wilberforce labored 46 years to abolish the
institution of slavery in the British Empire, ceaselessly defending those
without a voice within society;
Whereas in 1833, Mr. Wilberforce was informed on his death
bed that the House of Commons had voted to abolish slavery;
Whereas in 2006, the United States Department of State
estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 men, women, and children were
trafficked across international borders;
Whereas the International Labour Organization estimates
that there are more than 12 million people in forced labor, bonded labor,
forced child labor, and sexual servitude around the world; and
Whereas the people of the United States, particularly the
youth of the United States, are called upon to form clubs and groups dedicated
to working against the modern slave trade, human trafficking, and the
degradation of human dignity: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)commends to the people of the United States
the example of William Wilberforce and his commitment to each and every
person’s human dignity, value, and freedom in observation of the 200th
anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade;
(2)encourages the
people of the United States, particularly the youth of the United States,
to—
(A)observe the
anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade;
(B)reflect on Mr.
Wilberforce’s selfless dedication to the fight against slavery and his
commitment to the neediest in society;
(C)commit themselves
to recognize the value of every person and to work actively against slavery in
all its forms;
(D)work to educate
themselves and others to recognize that individuals who are subject to slavery
and human trafficking are victims of those who traffick such individuals;
and
(E)form high school clubs and groups working
against modern day slavery and the trafficking of persons; and
(3)condemns to the
highest degree all forms of human trafficking and slavery which are an assault
on human dignity and of which Mr. Wilberforce would steadfastly resist.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.