[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 236 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 236

Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the 
                   British Empire on August 1, 1834.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2009

Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Brownback) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the 
                   British Empire on August 1, 1834.

Whereas the United States and the United Kingdom have become beacons of freedom 
        and democracy around the world;
Whereas the history of the people of Africa is inextricably tied to the 
        histories of the United States and the United Kingdom;
Whereas, for centuries, millions of people from Africa and their descendants 
        were enslaved in the United States and the territories of the British 
        Empire;
Whereas the slave trade spanned many regions of the world, including Africa, the 
        Caribbean, the United States, and territories of the British Empire;
Whereas the people of Africa forced into slavery were dehumanized, humiliated, 
        abused, and often separated from their families to be sold;
Whereas the institution of slavery, predicated upon racist beliefs, infected and 
        corrupted the social fabrics of the United States and the United 
        Kingdom;
Whereas the Underground Railroad embodied courage, hospitality, and fortitude, 
        and served as an impetus for the abolition of slavery;
Whereas the Underground Railroad provided a means of escape from slavery by 
        incorporating a network of abolitionists, secret routes, and safe houses 
        throughout the United States and the territories of the British Empire;
Whereas the efforts of Harriet Tubman and like-minded abolitionists in the 
        Underground Railroad helped tens of thousands of slaves escape to 
        freedom during the early 19th century;
Whereas Harriet Tubman demonstrated her fearless devotion to liberty during her 
        service as a conductor on the Underground Railroad and was responsible 
        for leading fugitive slaves through the countryside to safe houses;
Whereas Harriet Tubman became known as ``Moses'' among slaves and abolitionists 
        because her estimated 19 trips in the decade following her emancipation 
        in 1849 to States that permitted slavery led to the liberation of 
        approximately 300 slaves;
Whereas the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 jeopardized the safety of escaped slaves 
        in the United States;
Whereas the establishment of Underground Railroad safe houses in Canada, a 
        territory of the British Empire, provided a safe haven for escaped 
        slaves;
Whereas the abolition of slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834, 
        established a chief terminal for the Underground Railroad and laid the 
        foundation for the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States;
Whereas the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines, 
        Ontario, Canada, served as an important center of abolitionist activity 
        and served as the final destination for many escaped slaves;
Whereas many freed slaves became members of Salem Chapel British Methodist 
        Episcopal Church and settled in the community; and
Whereas the abolition of slavery in the British Empire influenced the United 
        States by setting the precedent that the dehumanizing practice of 
        slavery would not, and could not, be tolerated if a Nation is to conform 
        with the fundamental tenets of democracy and equality for all people: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the fundamental importance of the abolition 
        of slavery in the British Empire in the history of the United 
        States and Canada; and
            (2) celebrates the 175th anniversary of the abolition of 
        slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834.
                                 <all>