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
That the sense of the Congress is the
following:
(1)Apology for the enslavement and segregation
of African-AmericansThe
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)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.
NANCY ERICKSON,
Secretary