[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 158 (Thursday, October 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S13134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ATLANTIC FREEDOM TOUR OF THE FREEDOM SCHOONER AMISTAD

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 399, S. Res. 
258.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 258) recognizing the historical and 
     educational significance of the Atlantic Freedom Tour of the 
     Freedom Schooner Amistad, and expressing the sense of the 
     Senate that preserving the legacy of the Amistad story is 
     important in promoting multicultural dialogue, education, and 
     cooperation.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc; and that any statements 
relating thereto be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 258) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 258

       Whereas the Slave Trade Act of the British Parliament in 
     1807 was the first major legislation to abolish the slave 
     trade and began the march to end slavery;
       Whereas, in 1839, 53 Africans were illegally kidnapped from 
     Sierra Leone and sold into the transatlantic slave trade;
       Whereas the captives were brought to Havana, Cuba, aboard 
     the Portuguese vessel Tecora, where they were fraudulently 
     classified as native-born Cuban slaves;
       Whereas the captives were sold to Jose Ruiz and Pedro 
     Montez of Spain, who transferred them onto the coastal cargo 
     schooner La Amistad;
       Whereas, on the evening of the rebellion, La Amistad was 
     secretly directed to return west up the coast of North 
     America, where after two months the Africans were seized and 
     arrested in New London, Connecticut;
       Whereas the captives were jailed and awaited trial in New 
     Haven, Connecticut;
       Whereas the trial of the captives became historic when 
     former President John Quincy Adams argued on behalf of the 
     enslaved before the United States Supreme Court and won their 
     freedom;
       Whereas, in 2007, the Freedom Schooner Amistad will embark 
     on its first transatlantic voyage to celebrate the 200th 
     anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave 
     trade; and
       Whereas the Amistad case represents an opportunity to call 
     to public attention the evils of slavery and the struggle for 
     freedom and the restoration of human dignity: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate recognizes the historical and educational 
     significance of the Atlantic Freedom Tour of the Freedom 
     Schooner Amistad;
       (2) the Senate encourages the people of the United States 
     to learn about the history of the United States and better 
     understand the experiences that have shaped this Nation; and
       (3) it is the sense of the Senate that preserving the 
     legacy of the Amistad should be regarded as a means in 
     fostering multicultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.

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