[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 26 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 26
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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas during the history of the Nation, the United States has grown into a
symbol of democracy and freedom around the world;
Whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with the very fabric of
the democracy and freedom of the United States;
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United
States and the 13 American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized,
and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and
heritage;
Whereas many enslaved families were torn apart after family members were sold
separately;
Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against people of African
descent upon which it depended became enmeshed in the social fabric of
the United States;
Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratification of the 13th
amendment to the Constitution of the United States in 1865, after the
end of the Civil War;
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 United States after the Civil War to
create separate and unequal societies for Whites and African-Americans,
was a direct result of the racism against people of African descent that
was engendered by slavery;
Whereas the system of Jim Crow laws officially existed until the 1960s--a
century after the official end of slavery in the United States--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 laws--long after both systems were formally abolished--
through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible,
including the loss of human dignity and liberty;
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 the history of the
United States;
Whereas those African-Americans who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws,
and their descendants, exemplify the strength of the human character and
provide a model of courage, commitment, and perseverance;
Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave
port, President George W. Bush acknowledged the continuing legacy of
slavery in life in the United States 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 an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot
erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed and a formal
apology to African-Americans will help bind the wounds of the Nation
that are rooted in slavery and can speed racial healing and
reconciliation and help the people of the United States understand the
past and honor the history of all people of the United States;
Whereas the legislatures of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the States of
Alabama, Florida, Maryland, and North Carolina have taken the lead in
adopting resolutions officially expressing appropriate remorse for
slavery, and other State legislatures are considering similar
resolutions; and
Whereas it is important for the people of the United States, who legally
recognized slavery through the Constitution and the laws of the United
States, to make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim
Crow, so they can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and
harmony for all people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That the sense of the Congress is the following:
(1) Apology for the enslavement and segregation of african-
americans.--The Congress--
(A) acknowledges the fundamental injustice,
cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim
Crow laws;
(B) 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 laws; and
(C) expresses its recommitment to the principle
that all people are created equal and endowed with
inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, and calls on all people of the United States
to work toward eliminating racial prejudices,
injustices, and discrimination from our society.
(2) Disclaimer.--Nothing in this resolution--
(A) authorizes or supports any claim against the
United States; or
(B) serves as a settlement of any claim against the
United States.
Passed the Senate June 18, 2009.
Attest:
Secretary.
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 26
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-
Americans.