[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 66 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DeLAURO HONORS THE ``AMISTAD'' AND CONNECTICUT'S ROLE IN THE 
                          UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

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                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 16, 1997

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join nearly 60 of my 
colleagues to introduce the National Underground Railroad Network to 
Freedom bill. This important measure will help to preserve historic 
stops on the Underground Railroad throughout the country so that we can 
remember and celebrate the courage of those who used the Underground 
Railroad in search of freedom from tyranny and oppression.
  Slavery is not an easy chapter in our Nation's history to remember. 
But it should not be forgotten. And the Underground Railroad is 
especially important to remember and memorialize, because it helps us 
all to deal with this dark chapter in American history when men and 
women fought against the institution of slavery to further the cause of 
freedom, even at their own peril.
  There are African-American churches in my hometown of New Haven, CT, 
such as the Varick AME Episcopal Church and the Dixwell Avenue 
Unitarian Church of Christ, that were waystations for escaped slaves 
traveling through the Underground Railroad. Many slaves passed through 
New Haven as they traveled toward freedom in more northern points such 
as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Canada. But many children growing 
up in New Haven today do not know of the role their town played in this 
chapter of our history.
  In particular, New Haven was thrust into the center of the dispute 
between the forces supporting slavery and those working for freedom 
when the sailing ship Amistad arrived in the Long Island Sound in the 
summer of 1839. The Amistad was a slave ship that set sail from Havana, 
Cuba, on June 28, 1839, with 53 Africans who had been kidnapped from 
their homeland and were on their way to another Cuban port and a 
lifetime of slavery.
  These brave Africans, led by Sengbe Pieh, fought for their lives and 
freedom. They took control of the ship and forced its Spanish owners to 
sail toward Africa, using the sun as their compass. However, the 
Spaniards sailed northward at night, hoping to come ashore in a 
Southern slave State. Instead, the ship entered the waters of the Long 
Island Sound and was taken into custody by the U.S. Navy.
  The Africans were put in a New Haven jail while a court battle was 
waged to determine if they would be slaves or free men and women. This 
dispute forced the country to consider the moral, social, religious, 
and political questions surrounding slavery. Many members of the New 
Haven community pulled together to work to secure the Africans' 
freedom, including the congregation of the Center Church on Temple 
Street and students and faculty at the Yale University Divinity School. 
Finally, in February 1841 the Africans--who were defended by former 
President John Quincy Adams--were declared free by the U.S. Supreme 
Court.
  In March 1841 the Africans of the Amistad moved to live in 
Farmington, CT, while funds were raised to finance their return to the 
area that is now Sierra Leone in Africa. The 37 surviving Africans 
finally reached their homeland in January 1842.
  There are several memorials in New Haven commemorating the Amistad 
and the story of the brave Africans who fought for their liberty on its 
decks. A statute of Sengbe Pieh, who is also known as Joseph Cinque, 
sits in front of the city hall. Plans are underway for a life-size 
working replica of the ship to be docked on long wharf, with 
exhibitions and programs on African-American history and the long fight 
for true freedom.
  I am glad to see this important part of Connecticut's history 
recognized. I am so proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill 
which will ensure that the monuments of the Underground Railroad's 
route in Connecticut and throughout the country will be protected and 
preserved so that future generations can remember this remarkable time 
in our history.

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