[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 755 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 755

            Recognizing and celebrating Black History Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2018

  Mr. Al Green of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
            Recognizing and celebrating Black History Month.

Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2018 is ``African Americans in Times 
        of War,'' which commemorates the centennial of the end of the First 
        World War in 1918, and explores the complex meanings and implications of 
        this international struggle and its aftermath;
Whereas this resolution will focus primarily on African Americans in the 
        military, which is but one historically important aspect of this far 
        reaching exploration of African-American history;
Whereas African Americans have fought for the United States throughout its 
        history;
Whereas despite racial segregation and discrimination, African Americans have 
        played a significant role from the colonial period forward;
Whereas Crispus Attucks was a fugitive slave working outside of Boston, 
        Massachusetts, as a sailor and during his time off, he worked as a rope 
        maker near the wharf;
Whereas in early 1770, competition for work and wages became stiff as British 
        soldiers were contending for the same unskilled positions as the locals;
Whereas this situation created tension which slowly escalated to violent 
        confrontations;
Whereas on March 5, 1770, Attucks led a group of rope makers and sailors into a 
        confrontation with a group of British soldiers and subsequently was shot 
        and killed;
Whereas Crispus Attucks, a Black man, is generally considered to be the first 
        casualty of the Revolutionary War and is remembered as the first of many 
        notable African-American heroes;
Whereas Araminta Ross, better known as Harriet Tubman, was born into slavery in 
        Maryland and escaped to freedom in the North in 1849 to become the most 
        famous conductor on the Underground Railroad;
Whereas Araminta Ross was a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War 
        and also helped the Union Army during the war, working as a spy among 
        other roles;
Whereas Araminta Ross, a Black woman, was the first woman to lead an armed 
        expedition during the Civil War;
Whereas Araminta Ross guided the Combahee River Raid, which liberated more than 
        700 slaves in South Carolina;
Whereas Powhatan Beaty was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, in 1837;
Whereas when the Civil War broke out, Beaty enlisted in the Union army;
Whereas Powhatan Beaty, a Black man, was quickly promoted to sergeant and 
        oversaw 47 other Black recruits in noncombat jobs;
Whereas in September 1864, Beaty's division attacked the enemy at Chaffin's 
        farm, near Richmond, Virginia;
Whereas with all of the unit's officers and most of its enlisted men dead or 
        wounded, Beaty took over and led a second charge, driving the enemy 
        back;
Whereas for his heroism, Beaty was awarded the Medal of Honor;
Whereas during the Civil War, approximately 40,000 African Americans were killed 
        in action;
Whereas Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., entered the military service on July 13, 
        1898, during the Spanish-American War as a temporary first lieutenant of 
        the 8th United States Volunteer Infantry;
Whereas on June 18, 1899, he enlisted as a private in the 9th Calvary of the 
        Regular Army;
Whereas Davis eventually came under the command of Charles Young, whom at the 
        time was the only African-American Officer serving in the U.S. military;
Whereas Young took Davis under his tutelage and helped him to prepare to take 
        his officer candidate test;
Whereas in only two years, he rose to sergeant major and earned a commission as 
        a second lieutenant in 1901;
Whereas Benjamin Oliver Davis, a Black man, rose through the ranks and became 
        the first African American to achieve the rank of brigadier general in 
        the U.S. military;
Whereas during World War I, approximately 800 African Americans were killed in 
        action;
Whereas Doris Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Mess Attendant where he 
        served on the USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 
        on December 7, 1941;
Whereas Miller was assigned to carry the wounded sailors to safer quarters;
Whereas he returned to the deck and picked up a 50-caliber Browning antiaircraft 
        machine gun that he had never been trained to shoot and managed to shoot 
        down enemy aircraft;
Whereas Doris Miller, a Black man, was commended by the Secretary of the Navy 
        and became the first African American to be presented with the Navy 
        Cross;
Whereas before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. 
        military;
Whereas civil rights organizations and the Black press exerted pressure on 
        President Roosevelt, which resulted in the formation of the Tuskegee 
        Airmen based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941;
Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, 
        maintenance and support staff, instructors, and the personnel who kept 
        the planes and pilots in the air;
Whereas the Black Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become 
        one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II;
Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen's achievements helped pave the way for full 
        integration of the U.S. military;
Whereas during World War II, approximately 700 African Americans were killed in 
        action;
Whereas Cornelius Charlton, a career military man, served in the Army during the 
        Korean War;
Whereas on June 2, 1951, his platoon encountered heavy resistance while 
        attempting to take Hill 543 and the leader of his platoon was wounded;
Whereas Charlton took command, regrouped his men and led an assault on the hill;
Whereas he single-handedly attacked and disabled the last remaining enemy gun 
        encampments;
Whereas he subsequently died from the wounds inflicted by a grenade but he is 
        credited with saving much of his platoon;
Whereas Cornelius Charlton, a Black man, posthumously received the Medal of 
        Honor for his actions near Chipo-ri, South Korea;
Whereas African Americans literally fought for the right to die in defense of 
        their country;
Whereas in the face of injustices, many African Americans distinguished 
        themselves with their commitment to the noble ideas upon which the 
        United States was founded and courageously fought for the rights and 
        freedom of all Americans;
Whereas the preservation and teaching of Black history are nationally recognized 
        due to the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and his establishment of 
        Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month;
Whereas Black History Month, which represents Dr. Carter G. Woodson's efforts to 
        enhance knowledge of Black history, started through the Journal of Negro 
        History, published by Woodson's Association for the Study of African-
        American Life and History; and
Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, 
        which dates back to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special 
        period of time in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of 
        Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Original Black History Month 
Resolution of 2018''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

    Congress--
            (1) recognizes the significance of Black History Month as 
        an important time to acknowledge and celebrate the 
        contributions of African Americans in the Nation's history, and 
        encourages the continued celebration of this month to provide 
        an opportunity for all peoples of the United States to learn 
        more about the past and to better understand the experiences 
        that have shaped the Nation;
            (2) recognizes that ethnic and racial diversity of the 
        United States enriches and strengthens the Nation; and
            (3) encourages all States to include in their year-round 
        educational curriculum the history and contributions of African 
        Americans in the United States and around the world.
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