[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 19, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4675-S4676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 175--OBSERVING JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY, JUNE 19, 
  1865, THE DAY ON WHICH SLAVERY FINALY CAME TO AN END IN THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

  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:

                              S. Res. 175

       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;

[[Page S4676]]

       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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