III 110th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 258 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 27, 2007 Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. Lieberman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary September 27, 2007 Reported by Mr. Leahy, without amendment October 18, 2007 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing the historical and educational significance of the Atlantic Freedom Tour of the Freedom Schooner Amistad, and expressing the sense of the Senate that preserving the legacy of the Amistad story is important in promoting multicultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.

Whereas the Slave Trade Act of the British Parliament in 1807 was the first major legislation to abolish the slave trade and began the march to end slavery; Whereas, in 1839, 53 Africans were illegally kidnapped from Sierra Leone and sold into the transatlantic slave trade; Whereas the captives were brought to Havana, Cuba, aboard the Portuguese vessel Tecora, where they were fraudulently classified as native-born Cuban slaves; Whereas the captives were sold to José Ruiz and Pedro Montez of Spain, who transferred them onto the coastal cargo schooner La Amistad; Whereas, on the evening of the rebellion, La Amistad was secretly directed to return west up the coast of North America, where after two months the Africans were seized and arrested in New London, Connecticut; Whereas the captives were jailed and awaited trial in New Haven, Connecticut; Whereas the trial of the captives became historic when former President John Quincy Adams argued on behalf of the enslaved before the United States Supreme Court and won their freedom; Whereas, in 2007, the Freedom Schooner Amistad will embark on its first transatlantic voyage to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; and Whereas the Amistad case represents an opportunity to call to public attention the evils of slavery and the struggle for freedom and the restoration of human dignity: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1)the Senate recognizes the historical and educational significance of the Atlantic Freedom Tour of the Freedom Schooner Amistad; (2)the Senate encourages the people of the United States to learn about the history of the United States and better understand the experiences that have shaped this Nation; and (3)it is the sense of the Senate that preserving the legacy of the Amistad should be regarded as a means in fostering multicultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.

October 18, 2007 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to