[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




ENCOURAGING THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO HONOR AND CELEBRATE THE 
   140TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION AND COMMENDING 
                ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S EFFORTS TO END SLAVERY

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 10, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 36, a resolution to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary 
of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's 
efforts to end slavery.
  On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth 
President of the United States, signed a proclamation stating that as 
of January 1, 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or 
designated part of a State shall be forever free.
  As the great grandson of a former slave, I am proud to be able to 
stand before this body, in this capacity, and state my appreciation for 
one of the most pivotal acts of government.
  To the decedents of slaves the Emancipation Proclamation and the 
thirteenth amendment allow us to realize and seize our dreams. To each 
person living within America's borders these doctrines laid the 
framework for America's diversity and opportunities. This remarkable 
demonstration of political courage by President Lincoln, although slow, 
ignited a fire that blazed a trail for equally pivotal acts of 
government such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965.
  140 years since the Emancipation Proclamation and 138 years since the 
abolishment of slavery, America is still realizing President Lincoln's 
dream and the dream of the numerous civil rights activists that 
followed him. For this, Mr. Speaker, I am grateful.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 36 and to 
continue to work to preserve this nation's legacy of justice and 
equality for all.

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