[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1844-H1847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR A NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR HARRIET ROSS
TUBMAN
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 310) expressing
support for a national day of remembrance for Harriet Ross Tubman.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 310
Whereas Harriet Ross Tubman was born into slavery in
Bucktown, Maryland, in or around 1820;
Whereas in 1849 she escaped to Philadelphia and became a
``conductor'' on the Underground Railroad;
Whereas she was commonly referred to as ``Moses'' due to
her courage and sacrifice in leading many enslaved persons
out of bondage into freedom, endeavoring despite great
hardship and danger of being re-enslaved;
Whereas Harriet Ross Tubman became an eloquent and
effective speaker on behalf of the movement to abolish
slavery;
Whereas during the Civil War, Harriet Ross Tubman assisted
the Union Army as a cook, nurse, scout, spy, and became the
first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, leading
to the liberation of more than seven hundred slaves;
Whereas after the Civil War, she became active in the
women's suffrage movement and continued to fight for human
dignity, human rights, opportunity, and justice;
[[Page H1845]]
Whereas in 1896, Harriet Ross Tubman purchased 25 acres of
land in Auburn, New York, to create a home and hospital for
indigent, aged, and sick African-Americans, which opened on
June 23, 1908, as the Harriet Tubman Home for the Sick and
Aged, becoming the only charity outside of New York City
dedicated to the shelter and care of African-Americans in New
York;
Whereas in 1944 the United States Maritime Commission
launched the SS Harriet Tubman (Hull Number 3032), the first
Liberty ship ever named for an African-American woman;
Whereas in 1978, Harriet Ross Tubman was the first honoree
in the United States Postal Service Black Heritage Stamp
Series;
Whereas the Episcopal Church has designated Harriet Ross
Tubman a saint in its Book of Common Prayer;
Whereas Harriet Ross Tubman, whose courageous and dedicated
pursuit of the promise of American ideals and common
principles of humanity continues to serve and inspire all
people who cherish freedom, died at her home in Auburn, New
York, on March 10, 1913;
Whereas March 10, 1990, was designated as Harriet Ross
Tubman Day and States such as Delaware, Georgia, Maryland,
New York, and Texas host annual celebrations that honor the
life of Harriet Tubman; and
Whereas we support honoring the contributions of Harriet
Ross Tubman annually on March 10: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) supports the designation of a national day of
remembrance for Harriet Ross Tubman; and
(2) encourages the people of the United States to support
and participate in appropriate ceremonies, programs, and
other activities to commemorate a national day of remembrance
for Harriet Ross Tubman.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
might consume.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.
Con. Res. 310, which seeks to honor the life of Harriet Tubman and
acknowledge the many sacrifices she made on behalf of freedom and the
inalienable rights of all men and women.
She was a steadfast warrior for the values which we cherish today:
freedom, justice, and equality for all. Without her, these values would
not have been enjoyed by the dozens of African Americans that she
rescued from slavery, in addition to many more that she helped by her
unwavering commitment to emancipation.
{time} 1345
H. Con. Res. 310 was introduced by Representative Elijah Cummings of
Maryland on March 5, 2008, and was considered by and reported from the
Oversight Committee on March 13, 2008, by voice vote.
The measure has the support of over 60 Members of Congress and
provides our body a collective opportunity to recognize and pay tribute
to a woman who dedicated her life to ensuring equality and freedom,
which stand at the foundation of our country, were afforded to all of
its citizens, including those enslaved in the South.
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in 1820 to Harriet ``Rit''
Green and Ben Ross, a slave couple from Dorchester County, Maryland.
From an early age, it was evident that Harriet Tubman was willing to
put her life on the line to assist African Americans in escaping that
peculiar institution we know as slavery. At 12 years old, she suffered
a traumatic blow to the head from her overseer when she refused to help
restrain a slave who was escaping. Due to the head injury she
sustained, Harriet was plagued for the rest of her life with violent
seizures and spells of unconsciousness.
Yet despite these ailments, Harriet Tubman continued to press on. In
1849 Harriet Tubman managed to escape from the plantation she worked
on, located in the eastern part of Maryland. On her first trip up
north, Tubman made great use out of the Underground Railroad and
crossed over 90 miles to reach her final destination of Pennsylvania.
Because of the dangers that lined every step of her journey, she had to
travel at night, using the North Star for guidance. When she reached
Philadelphia, she recalled that it felt like she was in heaven. Yet the
memory of her family still in bondage caused Harriet to leave
``heaven'' and voluntarily return to the land of her enslavement. After
the decision to save her family, she spent the majority of her life
bringing individuals out of slavery by way of the Underground Railroad.
In fact, Tubman became known as Moses because of her relentless efforts
to aid more and more African American slaves out of captivity.
For 11 years Harriet Tubman risked her life to free over 70 slaves
and their families. She also served as a Union spy during the Civil War
and assisted abolitionist John Brown in recruiting men for the raid on
Harpers Ferry in 1859. In the post-war era, Tubman devoted her efforts
towards the women's suffrage movement up until her death in 1913. In a
letter to honor her memory, Frederick Douglass wrote: ``Excepting John
Brown, of sacred memory, I know of no one who has willingly encountered
more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than she has.''
Madam Speaker, let us honor this true patriot for the courage and
tenacity that she has shown in the face of great danger and great
adversity. Harriet Tubman deserves our utmost respect and gratitude for
her unconquerable valor, her harrowing dedication, and her unshakable
faith all in the name of freedom. Therefore, I urge swift passage of H.
Con. Res. 310.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution honoring
Harriet Tubman.
Madam Speaker, Harriet Tubman is an American icon. She exemplified
the ideals of courage, loyalty, and commitment in the face of
adversity. After escaping from slavery in 1849, she immediately
returned to Maryland at great personal risk to rescue her family
members and others still bound in slavery. Some of the houses she used
to stow escaped slaves are but a few miles from this very Chamber.
Over the course of her years as the self-described ``conductor'' of
the Underground Railroad, Tubman led 13 missions into Maryland and
rescued more than 70 slaves. She didn't stop with leading slaves to
freedom. She also helped them find jobs, founded a community in Canada
where freed slaves could be safe from fugitive slave laws, and later
opened a home for elderly African Americans.
Tubman played an integral role in the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry,
West Virginia. She helped John Brown contact freed slaves and garnered
support from other abolitionists and sympathizers in Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and Delaware. As a member of the Union Army during the Civil
War, Tubman became the first woman in American history to lead an armed
expedition. When slavery finally ended in the United States, she turned
her considerable talents and energies towards the women's suffrage
movement. She represented all that is great about America: the ability,
the will, and the wherewithal to do that which is right and, more
importantly, to do it for precisely that reason.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Cummings for introducing this
resolution, and I thank Mr. Davis for helping us shepherd this through
the committee, and I urge its adoption.
Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.
Con. Res. 310: Expressing support for a national day of remembrance for
Harriet Ross Tubman. I wish to thank Representative Cummings for
sponsoring this important legislation.
Harriet Tubman was a remarkable woman, whose courage, struggle and
dedication inspires respect and awe. It is appropriate that the
Episcopal Church honors her as a saint.
Born into slavery, Harriet Ross did not know her exact date of birth.
At the age of 12 years she refused to help a white overseer bind a
recaptured slave. For her refusal she was hit in the head with a heavy
rock; this injury was severe and its effects would plague her for the
rest of her life. At the age of 30 Harriet Tubman would make her escape
from slavery to
[[Page H1846]]
Canada by way of Philadelphia where she met William Stills and learned
about the workings of the Underground Railroad. Tubman would go on to
free hundreds from slavery and became known as ``Moses'' for her
incredible bravery and sacrifice as she led the way to freedom as a
``conductor'' on the Underground Railroad. Harriet was a dedicated and
outspoken member of the abolitionist movement.
During the Civil War she provided services as a nurse, cook, scout
and spy for the Union Army, but was refused payment for her wartime
service. She became an active member of the women's suffrage movement
and went on to establish the Harriet Tubman Home for the Sick and Aged
in Auburn, NY, in 1908. She worked to maintain this home, the only one
of its kind outside of New York City, dedicated to the care and
sanctuary of African-Americans in New York.
Harriet Tubman was a true heroine. I encourage the designation of a
national day of remembrance to celebrate her life. I urge my colleagues
to join me in support of H. Con. Res. 310.
Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of
House Concurrent Resolution 310, expressing support for a national day
of remembrance for Harriet Ross Tubman.
I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this resolution which recognizes the
courage and sacrifice with which Harriet Tubman led slaves out of
bondage and into freedom. Her work was an important part of moving the
U.S. toward a more perfect Union.
As an African-American woman who had been emotionally and physically
abused by her owners, Harriet Tubman did the near impossible by freeing
herself from a life of slavery. She also had the courage to continue on
and help others, guiding hundreds of slaves out of abuse and fear and
into freedom and respectful employment. Harriet Tubman not only fought
against the most immediate inequalities experienced by African-American
slaves, but reached out further, becoming active in the women's
suffrage movement.
While the Civil War has long since ended and slavery been abolished,
many Americans continue to be enslaved by new forms of abuse and
discrimination. Domestic violence and economic inequality imprison many
today in fear and submission. Thankfully, Harriet Tubman's actions
continue to inspire Americans to find the courage to help each other.
In Minnesota, her legacy is alive in the activities of the Tubman
Family Alliance agency, which provides safe passage from violence for
women and children, and helps them achieve their own freedom, just as
Harriet Tubman helped so many people achieve freedom.
It is critical that we remember the courage with which this woman
selflessly strove to help others despite the risk of enslavement and
death. We must recognize and strive to emulate such bravery not just
once a year, but all year. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join
me in supporting this important resolution.
Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res.
310, expressing support for a national day of remembrance for Harriet
Ross Tubman.
During the month of March, when we celebrate Women's History Month
across the nation, it is important that we recognize and celebrate the
immeasurable contributions of women such as Harriet Tubman, who bravely
led our Nation in the abolitionist movement, taking enormous risks in
her fight for the freedom and equality of all Americans.
Harriet Tubman was not only an abolitionist, leading more than 700
slaves to freedom, but served nobly in the Union Army during the Civil
War as the first female to head an armed expedition.
Following her accomplishments in the Civil War, Harriet Tubman went
on to be a leader in the women's suffrage movement, diligently fighting
for women's right to vote, and founded the Harriet Tubman Home for the
Sick and Aged, a home and hospital to care for elderly and ailing
African-Americans in New York.
Her bravery and dedication to the principles of freedom and equality
serve as a positive example to us today, as we continue working
together to provide quality education, healthcare, housing, and
opportunity to all Americans, regardless of race, gender or income.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong
support of H. Con. Res. 310, expressing support for a national day of
remembrance for Harriet Ross Tubman, introduced by my distinguished
colleague from Maryland, Representative Cummings. Harriet Ross Tubman
was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union Spy
during the United States Civil War and as such deserves to be honored
for her brave service by members of the United States Congress.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland,
of purely African ancestry. Harriet Tubman was born Araminta ``Minty''
Ross to slave parents, Harriet ``Rit'' Green and Ben Ross. Rit was
owned by Mary Pattison Brodess and later her son Edward, while Ben was
legally owned by Mary's second husband, Anthony Thompson, who ran a
large plantation near the Blackwater River in Dorchester County,
Maryland. Tubman was beaten and whipped often by her various owners as
a child. Early in life she suffered a traumatic head wound when an
irate slave owner threw a heavy metal weight at her, intending to hit
another slave. The injury caused disabling seizures, headaches, and
powerful visionary and dream activity, and spells of hypersomnia which
occurred throughout her entire life.
In 1849, Tubman became ill, and her value as a slave was diminished
as a result. Edward Brodess tried to sell her but could not find a
buyer. Angry at this effort and the unjust hold he kept on her
relatives, Tubman began to pray for her owner, asking God to make him
change his ways. After her sell was considered finalized she `switched'
tactics on how she was praying and one week later Brodess died. Tubman
expressed regret for her earlier sentiments. Ironically, Brodess's
death increased the likelihood that Tubman would be sold and the family
would be broken apart. Tubman refused to wait for the Brodess' family
to decide her fate, despite her husband's efforts to dissuade her.
``There was one of two things I had a right to,'' she says, ``liberty
or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.''
Harriet Tubman was given a piece of paper by a white neighbor with
two names, and told how to find her path to freedom. In 1849, Tubman
escaped to Philadelphia. At the first house she was put into a wagon,
covered with a sack, and driven to her next destination. Following the
paper in route to Pennsylvania, she initially settled in Philadelphia,
where she met William Still, the Philadelphia Stationmaster on the
Underground Railroad. With the assistance of Still, and other members
of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, she learned about the
workings of the UGRR. She immediately returned to rescue her family.
Slowly, one group at a time she brought relatives with her out of
state, and eventually guided dozens of other slaves to freedom.
Traveling by night with extreme caution, Tubman never lost a
passenger. Heavy rewards were offered for many of the people she helped
free, but no one knew it was Harriet Tubman who was helping them. When
a far-reaching United States Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850, she
helped guide fugitives further north into Canada, and helped newly-
freed slaves find work. In 1851 she began relocating members of her
family to St. Catharines, Ontario Canada West. North Street in St.
Catharines remained her base of operations until 1857. While there she
worked various odd jobs to finance her activities as a Conductor on the
UGRR, and attended the Salem Chapel BME Church on Geneva Street. Word
of her exploits had encouraged her family, and biographers agree that
she became more confident with each trip to Maryland. As she led more
and more individuals out of slavery, she became popularly known as
``Moses''--an allusion to the prophet in the book of Exodus who led the
Hebrews to freedom.
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Tubman saw a Union
victory as a key step toward the abolition of slavery. Tubman hoped to
offer her own expertise and skills to the Union cause, too, and soon
she joined a group of Boston and Philadelphia abolitionists heading to
the Hilton Head District in South Carolina. She became a fixture in the
camps, particularly in Port Royal, South Carolina, assisting fugitives.
Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then
as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition
in the war, she guided the raid on the Combahee River, which liberated
more than seven hundred slaves.
Harriet Tubman, widely known and well-respected while she was alive,
became an American icon in the years after her death. In all she is
believed to have conducted approximately 300 persons to freedom in the
North. The tales of her exploits reveal her highly spiritual nature, as
well as a grim determination to protect her charges and those who aided
them. She always expressed confidence that God would aid her efforts,
and threatened to shoot any of her charges who thought to turn back.
When she died, Tubman was buried with military honors at Fort Hill
Cemetery in Auburn.
Today, I seek to offer my condolences for her death, and also
recognize her lifetime of accomplishments. For these reasons, I
strongly support H. Con. Res. 310 and urge all my colleagues to do the
same.
Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
[[Page H1847]]
Davis) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent
resolution, H. Con. Res. 310.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________