[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 175 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 175

Observing Juneteenth Independence Day, June 19, 1865, the day on which 
          slavery finally came to an end in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 19, 2013

   Mr. Levin (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Cowan, Mr. 
Harkin, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Leahy, 
  Mr. Brown, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Hagan, Mrs. 
 Murray, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Coons, Mrs. Boxer, 
  Mr. Warner, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Cruz, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Kaine, Mr. 
Rubio, Mr. Risch, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Wicker, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Casey, Mr. 
Begich, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, and Ms. Warren) submitted 
      the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Observing Juneteenth Independence Day, June 19, 1865, the day on which 
          slavery finally came to an end in the United States.

Whereas news of the end of slavery did not reach the frontier areas of the 
        United States, and in particular the Southwestern States, for more than 
        2\1/2\ years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation 
        Proclamation, which was issued on January 1, 1863, months after the 
        conclusion of the Civil War;
Whereas, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, 
        arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and 
        that the enslaved were free;
Whereas African Americans who had been slaves in the Southwest celebrated June 
        19, commonly known as ``Juneteenth Independence Day'', as inspiration 
        and encouragement for future generations;
Whereas African Americans from the Southwest, for more than 145 years, continue 
        the tradition of observing Juneteenth Independence Day;
Whereas 42 States, the District of Columbia, and other countries, including 
        Goree Island, Senegal (a former slave port), have designated Juneteenth 
        Independence Day as a special day of observance in recognition of the 
        emancipation of all slaves in the United States;
Whereas Juneteenth Independence Day celebrations have been held to honor 
        African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect 
        for all cultures;
Whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by former slaves and 
        their descendants remain an example for all people of the United States, 
        regardless of background, religion, or race;
Whereas the late Lula Briggs Galloway of Saginaw, Michigan--author, social 
        activist, curator of African-American history, originator of the interim 
        Juneteenth Creative Culture Center and Museum in Saginaw, Michigan, and 
        then-President of the National Association of Juneteenth Lineage, Inc.--
        successfully worked to bring national recognition to Juneteenth 
        Independence Day and encouraged the United States Senate and the United 
        States House of Representatives to pass a resolution in 1997 in honor of 
        that day;
Whereas national observance of Juneteenth Independence Day continues under the 
        steadfast leadership of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation;
Whereas Frederick Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in 
        Maryland in 1818, escaped from slavery and became a leading writer, 
        orator, and publisher, and one of the United States' most influential 
        advocates for abolitionism, and the equality of all people;
Whereas, on September 10, 2012, and September 12, 2012, the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate, respectively, each passed legislation, 
        signed into law by the President on September 20, 2012 (Public Law 112-
        174), to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue 
        depicting Frederick Douglass from the District of Columbia and to 
        provide for the permanent display of the statue in Emancipation Hall of 
        the United States Capitol, during an unveiling Ceremony on June 19, 
        2013, the same day as recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day;
Whereas, on June 18, 2009, the United States Senate and on July 29, 2008, the 
        United States House of Representatives each adopted resolutions 
        apologizing for the legacy of slavery in the United States and ``Jim 
        Crow'' laws;
Whereas the crime of lynching succeeded slavery, and on June 13, 2005, the 
        United States Senate adopted a resolution apologizing to the victims of 
        lynching and the descendants of those victims;
Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratification of the 13th 
        amendment to the Constitution of the United States in January 1865; and
Whereas, over the course of its history, the United States has grown into a 
        symbol of democracy and freedom around the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the historical significance of Juneteenth 
        Independence Day to the United States;
            (2) supports the continued nationwide celebration of 
        Juneteenth Independence Day to provide an opportunity for the 
        people of the United States to learn more about the past and to 
        better understand the experiences that have shaped the United 
        States; and
            (3) recognizes that the observance of the end of slavery is 
        a part of the history and heritage of the United States.
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