[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 194 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 194
Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-
Americans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2007
Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Jackson-Lee of
Texas, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Wexler, Ms. Kilpatrick, Ms.
Woolsey, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Lee, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs.
Maloney of New York, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Capuano,
Mr. Rangel, Mr. Payne, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Al Green of
Texas, Mr. Butterfield, Ms. Watson, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Cleaver, Ms.
Carson, Mr. Israel, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Lewis of
Georgia, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Hare, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Baldwin, Mr.
Hodes, Mr. Filner, Mr. Honda, and Mr. Kucinich) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-
Americans.
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United
States and the 13 American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas slavery in America resembled no other form of involuntary servitude
known in history, as Africans were captured and sold at auction like
inanimate objects or animals;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized,
and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and
heritage;
Whereas enslaved families were torn apart after having been sold separately from
one another;
Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against persons of African
descent upon which it depended became entrenched in the Nation's social
fabric;
Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the passage of the 13th
Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 after the end of the
Civil War, which was fought over the slavery issue;
Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African-Americans soon saw
the fleeting political, social, and economic gains they made during
Reconstruction eviscerated by virulent racism, lynchings,
disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that
imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in
virtually all areas of life;
Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as ``Jim Crow,'' which
arose in certain parts of the Nation following the Civil War to create
separate and unequal societies for whites and African-Americans, was a
direct result of the racism against persons of African descent
engendered by slavery;
Whereas the system of Jim Crow laws officially existed into the 1960's--a
century after the official end of slavery in America--until Congress
took action to end it, but the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this
day;
Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery
and Jim Crow--long after both systems were formally abolished--through
enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the
loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and
professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity;
Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation of African-
Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities committed against them should
not be purged from or minimized in the telling of American history;
Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave
port, President George W. Bush acknowledged slavery's continuing legacy
in American life and the need to confront that legacy when he stated
that slavery ``was . . . one of the greatest crimes of history . . . The
racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with slavery or with
segregation. And many of the issues that still trouble America have
roots in the bitter experience of other times. But however long the
journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all.'';
Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deep-seated problems caused
by the continuing legacy of racism against African-Americans that began
with slavery when he initiated a national dialogue about race;
Whereas a genuine apology is an important and necessary first step in the
process of racial reconciliation;
Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot
erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed can speed racial
healing and reconciliation and help Americans confront the ghosts of
their past;
Whereas the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia has recently taken the
lead in adopting a resolution officially expressing appropriate remorse
for slavery and other State legislatures are considering similar
resolutions; and
Whereas it is important for this country, which legally recognized slavery
through its Constitution and its laws, to make a formal apology for
slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and
seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty,
brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;
(2) apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people
of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and
their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow; and
(3) expresses its commitment to rectify the lingering
consequences of the misdeeds committed against African-
Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to stop the occurrence
of human rights violations in the future.
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