[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8] [House] [Pages 10835-10839] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]OBSERVING THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABOLITION OF THE BRITISH SLAVE TRADE Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 158) observing the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade and encouraging the people of the United States, particularly the youth of the United States, to remember the life and legacy of William Wilberforce, a member of the British House of Commons who devoted his life to the suppression and abolition of the institution of slavery, and to work for the protection of human rights throughout the world, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 158 Whereas in 1780, William Wilberforce was elected at the age of 21 years to the British House of Commons; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce and his friends were active in at least 69 different projects focusing on issues such as prison reform, education, child labor conditions, animal cruelty, and the reformation of the culture; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce was mentored and counseled by former slave trader and author of the hymn ``Amazing Grace'', John Newton, on the horrors of the slave trade; Whereas at the time, 11 million human beings had been captured and taken from Africa to the Western hemisphere and forced into slavery and bondage; Whereas at the time, the British Empire controlled the largest portion of the slave trade; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce devoted his life to the suppression and abolition of the institution of slavery; Whereas a dedicated group of like-minded reformers, the Clapham group, assisted, supported, and encouraged Mr. Wilberforce in his fight against the slave trade; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce fought for 20 years in the House of Commons to pass legislation banning the slave trade; Whereas on February 23, 1807, Britain passed a bill banning the slave trade; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce helped inspire and encourage those who fought against slavery in the United States, including political leaders like John Quincy Adams, spreading a message of hope and freedom throughout America and the promise of the future; Whereas Mr. Wilberforce labored 46 years to abolish the institution of slavery in the British Empire, ceaselessly defending those without a voice within society; Whereas in 1833, Mr. Wilberforce was informed on his death bed that the House of Commons had voted to abolish slavery; Whereas in 2006, the United States Department of State estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 men, women, and children were trafficked across international borders; Whereas the International Labour Organization estimates that there are more than 12 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude around the world; and Whereas the people of the United States, particularly the youth of the United States, are called upon to form clubs and groups dedicated to working against the modern slave trade, human trafficking, and the degradation of human dignity: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) commends to the people of the United States the example of William Wilberforce [[Page 10836]] and his commitment to each and every person's human dignity, value, and freedom in observation of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade; (2) encourages the people of the United States, particularly the youth of the United States, to-- (A) observe the anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade; (B) reflect on Mr. Wilberforce's selfless dedication to the fight against slavery and his commitment to the neediest in society; (C) commit themselves to recognize the value of every person and to work actively against slavery in all its forms; (D) work to educate themselves and others to recognize that individuals who are subject to slavery and human trafficking are victims of those who traffick such individuals; and (E) form high school clubs and groups working against modern day slavery and the trafficking of persons; and (3) condemns to the highest degree all forms of human trafficking and slavery which are an assault on human dignity and of which Mr. Wilberforce would steadfastly resist. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey. Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would first like to thank Congressman Joe Pitts, who was the prime sponsor of this resolution, and the other cosponsors. Congressman Pitts is a strong human rights activist and has worked on issues of Western Sahara and other issues dealing with suppressed people, and so this resolution honoring William Wilberforce by Congressman Pitts and encouraging young Americans to remember his life, legacy and dedication to the abolition of the British slave trade. Mr. Wilberforce was born in 1759 in England into a wealthy merchant family. He studied at Cambridge University, where he began a lasting friendship with the future Prime Minister of England, William Pitt. In 1780, Wilberforce was elected at the age of 21 years of age to the British House of Commons. His self-indulgent lifestyle as a young man changed completely when he became an evangelical Christian, prompting him to dedicate his life to social reform, particularly dealing with the institution of slavery. During his time, the British Empire controlled the largest portion of the slave trade. As we have heard, estimates are from 25 to 50 million Africans were captured and taken from Africa to the Western Hemisphere and forced into bondage over centuries. Wilberforce was mentored and counseled by John Newton, a former slave trader and the author of ``Amazing Grace,'' which was a song that John Newton wrote when he was caught in a storm with slaves. That is when he said ``Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,'' and he asked the Lord to forgive him and he became an Abolitionist. That is where this song originated, which is still sung at Irish funerals, played by the bagpipes, and, of course, it opens up many services in African American churches throughout this country. But Mr. Wilberforce talked about the horrors of the slave trade and he devoted the rest of his life to the suppression and the abolition of slavery. In his major speech on abolition in the House of Commons, he argued that the slave trade was morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice. He described in vivid details the appalling conditions in which slaves traveled from Africa through the Middle Passage and argued that abolishing the slave trade would also bring an improvement in the conditions of existing slaves in West Indies, then, of course, under the domination of Great Britain. In addition to his anti-slavery activities, Wilberforce was active in at least 69 different projects, focusing on issues such as prison reform, education, child labor conditions, animal cruelty, and cultural reformation. He was certainly a man who was indeed ahead of his time. Mr. Wilberforce fought for 20 years in the House of Commons to pass legislation banning the slave trade; and on February 23, 1807, Britain passed a bill banning slave trade. Wilberforce died on the 29th of July, 1833, shortly after the act to free slaves passed. He had labored for 46 years to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Wilberforce helped inspire and encourage those who fought against slavery in the United States, including political leaders like John Quincy Adams, who actually handled the Amistad Case in Connecticut of some slaves who in the Caribbean freed themselves and ended up on trial, and John Quincy Adams won the case. But he was influenced by Mr. Wilberforce, spreading the message of hope and freedom throughout America. As a matter of fact, Wilberforce University, as we heard Mr. Burton mention earlier, founded in 1856 in Wilberforce, Ohio, and the first historically black college in the United States of America, is part of the honored legacy of Wilberforce in the United States. {time} 1515 Wilberforce University was a final destination for the Underground Railroad that brought over 100,000 slaves from the South to freedom. As a matter of fact, currently, the president of Wilberforce University is a former Member of this body, Reverend Doctor Floyd Flake. Wilberforce once said, ``Men of authority and influence may promote good morals. Let them, in their several stations, encourage virtue. Let them favor and take part in any plans which may be formed for the advancement of morality.'' I think those words stand today, if we would listen to what Mr. Wilberforce said at that time. I ask all of you to listen to the words of Wilberforce and to vote for this resolution to honor Mr. Wilberforce's work and legacy, his commitment to each and every person's human dignity, value and freedom. I urge that we pass this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), for introducing the bill before us, House Resolution 158, which observes the 200th anniversary of the end of the British slave trade and commends the heroic legacy of William Wilberforce, the outspoken British parliamentarian and Christian who was instrumental in its abolition. The African slave trade was a heinous practice that inflicted degradation and misery on those millions of people whose human dignity it denied or destroyed. In celebrating the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade, we cannot help but reflect on the tragic fact that it took the United States another six decades and a wrenching Civil War to do the same, to begin living more fully according to the principles of our Founding Fathers. I commend the author of this resolution, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), for focusing on the challenges of the present day, in addition to the sins of the past. Although the scourge of formalized slavery has been eliminated in the west and for much, but not all, of the rest of the world, millions of women, children and men suffer similar severe assaults on their dignity and liberty today as victims of trafficking, sexual servitude, and forced labor. This resolution is a welcomed opportunity to publicly recommit ourselves to the protection of human dignity. In the words of the man whom we honor in our resolution, William Wilberforce, he said, ``Let us act with an energy suited to the importance of the interests for which we contend, stimulated by a consciousness of what we owe to the laws of God and the rights and happiness of man.'' Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) be allowed to control the remainder of our time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida? There was no objection. Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for yielding [[Page 10837]] and for her principled leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for his leadership on this and the preceding resolution, and for his leadership on the issue of human rights in general around the world. Madam Speaker, with this resolution, we rightly honor one of humanity's great heroes. William Wilberforce was a man of integrity, a man of courage, a man of faith, and a man of principle. And he used these qualities, Madam Speaker, to forever change the world for the better. He is someone that each of us in this Chamber can relate to and draw inspiration from. In a legislative body of 435 Members, it can be difficult to make progress on the issues we care about. Indeed, the odds sometimes appear insurmountable. But the life and accomplishments of William Wilberforce are proof that individuals of character truly can change the world. Wilberforce was himself a member of an elected legislative body. He was first elected to the British Parliament more than 220 years ago. In his day, the human slave trade dominated England's economy. As a result, the interests of the slave traders were firmly entrenched in the halls of Parliament. Arguments used to justify the sale and trade of human beings and the horrific injustices that occurred in that trade were commonplace in that day. But William Wilberforce refused to accept these arguments. He knew that slavery was an unspeakable injustice, and he made it his object to end it. This conviction would lead him on a decades-long effort to end slavery in England. It was a journey full of setbacks and disappointments. Again and again, he introduced his bill in parliament to end the British slave trade. Again and again it was soundly defeated, and again and again he was ostracized by his peers. For years this went on, and the discouragement grew. But all the while, Wilberforce's call to conscience was slowly winning over hearts and minds. His willingness to stand for what was right and fight what was wrong was being noticed by his colleagues. And after 20 years of perseverance, 20 years of unbending principle, 20 years of standing for justice in the face of daunting odds, Wilberforce at last tasted success. On February 23, 1807, Parliament voted, and on March 25, the King signed the bill that outlawed the British slave trade, a move that was once thought impossible. And 26 years later, Wilberforce was informed a few days before his death that the House of Commons had finally voted to abolish slavery altogether in the British Empire. Madam Speaker, throughout this year, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of this tremendous accomplishment. And as part of this celebration, a number of efforts are underway to inform people of this often-forgotten hero of humanity and his colleagues who worked to end in slavery. We could mention others, like John Newton, who has already been mentioned. John Newton was a former slave trader who wrote the hymn ``Amazing Grace,'' whose testimony before Parliament was so influential. We could mention John Wesley, who a week before he died in 1791, wrote William Wilberforce about American slavery which he called ``the vilest form of slavery known to mankind.'' We could mention Wilberforce's direct influence on John Quincy Adams, and John Quincy Adams' direct influence on Abraham Lincoln. There are many people who could be mentioned, but this resolution before us today is part of the celebration of the life and accomplishments of William Wilberforce, and are certainly worthy of recognition. Madam Speaker, I would submit this is not merely an effort to look back and give credit where credit is due, it is also a call to fight modern-day injustice. Sadly, every generation must confront evil in its own time, and ours is no different. Around the world, thousands of people are deprived of their basic human rights every single day. Good men and women of this world have a moral duty to fight these modern-day injustices. The U.S. State Department estimates that approximately 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked each year into slavery, into the sex industry, other slave-like labor conditions. In South Asia, an entire class of people numbering in the millions are considered to be ``untouchable,'' and as a result, they are denied basic services and subjected to terrible living conditions. Horrible human rights abuses continue in places like Burma and Sudan and China and many others. These are just a few examples. The list could go on. Madam Speaker, as we honor William Wilberforce, may we also be inspired today to educate ourselves and others about modern-day injustice, inspired to not turn a blind eye to millions of people worldwide who need our help; and inspired, Madam Speaker, to act. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we have one additional speaker who has not yet arrived, so I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the former chairman, current ranking member, of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and a great champion of human rights today. Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Pitts of Pennsylvania, for authoring this important resolution recognizing the abolishment of the inhumane, grossly immoral and ubiquitous British slave trade 200 years ago, and the highly principled member of the House of Commons, William Wilberforce, who poured his life into that noble cause. One man can--and did--make a difference. H. Res. 158 also links the abolition issue to today's modern-day slave trade, human trafficking, and I appreciate that the gentleman from Pennsylvania recognized that there are lessons learned that need to be applied to our current battle against modern-day slavery. Madam Speaker, William Wilberforce was 21 years old when he was elected to the House of Commons in 1780. And perhaps like some of us, later said, ``The first years in Parliament I did nothing, nothing to any purpose. My own distinction was my darling object.'' But that all changed, Madam Speaker, after a profound conversion to Christianity and a serious rethinking as to whether politics, with all of its diversions, distractions, vanity, lies, and deception, was compatible with his ever-deepening religious faith. He even thought of quitting politics and entering into a ministry. John Newton, the former slave captain turned convert to Christ, among others, encouraged him to fight the battle against slavery where it could be won, in Parliament. The Commons is the place where you can stop slavery. Wilberforce agreed, and then poured his life into that battle. William Wilberforce once said: ``Never, never will we desist until we extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic to which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long to disgrace and dishonor this country.'' He also said: ``So enormous, so dreadful, so remediable did the trade's wickedness quickly appear that my own mind was completely made up for its abolition.'' Madam Speaker, 200 years ago the slave trade was abolished, and he went on for the rest of his life with a group of prayer warriors, men and women who prayed every day for the abolishment of the slave trade, who believed it was a blight not just against man and woman, but against God himself. And it was through prayer and action that they came up with a number of very interesting and creative legislative ways of trying to stop it. Wilberforce was also tenacious. Time and time again, he would offer his bill to abolish the slave trade, only to have all kinds of shenanigans, filibusters and misinformation, diversions, and threats including physical threats to [[Page 10838]] himself, used as a way of deferring action, but he nevertheless persisted and in the end, he prevailed. We need to learn from that example, Madam Speaker, because we have a slave trade today. In 1990s, the phenomenon of human trafficking, ever present in all of history, exploded in prevalence, sophistication and cruelty. With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact nations, suddenly new mobsters, many of them former KBG operatives, were all of a sudden on the scene buying and selling young women as commodities. Additionally, the Internet suddenly brought pornography, including child porn, into homes all over the world, furthering the demand for victims. The sleazy X-rated theater went mainstream. Organized crime in countries all over the world, including the United States, made profits seemingly without limit while incurring next to no risk of prosecution. As Mr. Pitts pointed out earlier, today the United States is the net importer of upwards of 18,000 people, mostly women or children, who are trafficked into this country to be exploited. That is an abomination. We also have our own interstate slave trade where young girls who are runaways are quickly picked up by pimps and bought and sold like commodities. That, too, must stop. {time} 1530 Madam Speaker, I believe that because too much evil is involved here and because the prospect of making billions of dollars has enticed some of the most unsavory and cruel individuals, including and especially organized crime, into this nefarious trade we have to beef up our efforts to stop this slavery. Because too much demand enabled by crass indifference, unbridled hedonism and misogynistic attitudes has turned people, especially women, into objects valued only for their utility in the brothel or in the sweat shop we have to accelerate and expand our fight, and because of the relative lack of visibility, all of this makes the task of combating trafficking in modern day slavery all the more difficult. But trafficking, like germs, infection and disease, thrives only in the shadows and in the murky places and cannot survive when brought to the light. Light remains a very, very powerful disinfectant. So my challenge to all of us is that we have to bring the light, the bright light of scrutiny, of criminal investigations, the disinfecting of investigations and convictions, probing legislative inquiry, having the students, as Mr. Pitts in this bill encourages them to do, to form student groups to look into slavery. We need to use every tool, best practice and well-honed strategy to win the freedom of the slaves and to spare others the agony, especially through prevention measures, the agony of slavery. Together, we can make the pimps and the exploiters pay by doing serious jail time, as well as the forfeiture of their assets. The boats, the villas and the fat-cat bank accounts must go. Together we can end this barbaric and utterly cruel modern day slavery, just as William Wilberforce and other great men and women did so in antiquity. Make no mistake about it; the abolition of modern day slavery is a winnable war. We need to fight in ways so as to win. We need to pray. I believe we need to fast, and we need to have good, well-developed strategies, and we need to work as a bipartisan team, to end this cruelty. Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a member of the Appropriations Committee. Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank again Mr. Payne for yielding. Let me commend Mr. Pitts and all those who have cosponsored this resolution, and say how important it is today for us to be discussing this in a bipartisan way and commending and remembering Mr. Wilberforce. This resolution talks about how he devoted his life to the suppression and abolition of the institution of slavery, but it also calls upon the youth of the United States, especially, to form clubs and groups dedicated to working against modern slave trade and human trafficking and the degradation of human dignity. Also it calls on the reflection of Mr. Wilberforce's selfless dedication to fight against slavery and his commitment to the neediest in society. I think we should today remind ourselves that we need to rededicate ourselves to the principles and values which Mr. Wilberforce demonstrated through his life. Let me give you some examples of how we really can do this today. When you look at this budget and the appropriations process, we are talking about cutting programs such as GEAR UP and TRIO that really help our youth, especially our African American and Latino youth, receive an education that allows them a level playing field. When you look at California, affirmative action ended. We have very few students entering into the University of California, very few African American and Latino businesses because we have ended equal opportunity efforts in California, very few people of color employed by the State of California. And why? Because they did not adhere to Mr. Wilberforce's ideals and his principles. When you look at the prison population and the disparities, when you look at African American young men and women, the huge disparities in the prison populations, huge disparities in the dropout rate. Why? You have to understand, and I think this resolution, as minded, talks about the vestiges and the legacy of slavery; and so in rededicating ourselves to end this, we need to do what we can do today and close these disparities and make the right, correct budget decisions as we look at these budgets that we are putting together. Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, we have no additional speakers; therefore, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the Representative from the 14th District of Michigan (Mr. Conyers), chairman of the Judiciary Committee and dean of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to join in this discussion to congratulate my colleague from New Jersey Don Payne and my dear friend who brought this to my attention only yesterday from California (Ms. Lee). I am so pleased to hear this discussion going on commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, but also the recognition of William Wilberforce, after whom the famous African American university, Wilberforce, was named, a distinguished member of the British House of Commons. What we are discussing here is not just ancient history. It is not just a recollection of why we have a 13th amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery. But we are talking about one of the great iniquities of our civilization. Slavery has always been a problem that we have dealt with across our centuries; but today and in countries all over the world, we are beginning to examine where it goes. We heard the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) recite present problems. We have heard the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) talk about things that lead us into conditions of such abject poverty that people are made vulnerable to the whole question of being subjugated and eventually so impoverished that they end up being oppressed or exploited. We know that many are still being trapped in trying to leave one country to improve their economic conditions, and they end up under false pretences in a forced work circumstance. Frequently, it's prostitution for young women. And for this 110th Congress, with these resolutions, H. Res. 272 and H. Res. 158, are now beginning to deal with this subject, not only in the present circumstance but examining the roots and the origins of this obnoxious, inhumane, indescribably evil circumstance in which we find men, women and children still under such oppression today. For that reason, I am proud to stand here as the chairman of the committee that has jurisdiction over our constitutional amendments and to join with [[Page 10839]] the distinguished members of the Foreign Affairs Committee who recognize that after many unsuccessful attempts, the British Parliament finally abandoned and made slavery illegal, but finally, after a great deal of effort were able to stop it. It didn't stop because we passed a law. Slavery and second-class citizenship and the denial of the rights of Americans didn't stop because we passed the 13th amendment. It didn't even stop after we passed a series of Voting Rights Acts to enforce the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. So here we are today, again recommitting this Nation through the people's House to make certain that everyone understands how this came about, how the Atlantic slave trade was so evil and that its legacy lingers over this Nation today. I congratulate all of the leaders of these two measures and in commemorating the legacy and remembering this great Parliamentarian from England, William Wilberforce. Many of our predecessors worked, as tirelessly as we do, through the last couple centuries to deliver on the simple promise of freedom; but guess what, it doesn't turn on us just keeping people free. A free people have to become educated. They have to work. They have to raise their family. We have to put this enormously important consideration into the context of what it means. To be free is not free. To be free means that you can get educated to compete in a computerized technology. It means to be able to be healthy and to live and grow to make everyone have this wonderful opportunity. It was said so then to every man and woman and child the chance, the chance, the gold shining opportunity to become whatever they could in the course of one's life. We celebrated the life yesterday of our dearest colleague Juanita Millender-McDonald as she was memorialized in Los Angeles. What a dynamic, unusual, amazing circumstance of a young girl from Alabama transporting herself to the first elected chairwoman of color of the House Administration Committee. These are the kinds of opportunities that are open to us, to the 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who all have equally poignant stories. We have an African American chairman who had to join the Army because he could not get a job. That is existing today. It is in that spirit of looking back and yet confronting the realities that I am so proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have made this an important day to remember, to reflect on and to plan how we move the condition and the plight of all 300 million of our citizens forward. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding me this time. Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me conclude once again by thanking the prime sponsor, Congressman Pitts, for this resolution and just say that as I was indicating before about a little bit about our history, it is important that we remember history. It is important that the House of Commons fought and Mr. Wilberforce would not give up his fight. Actually, New Jersey back in 1863 passed the 13th amendment that was proposed by President Lincoln, although New Jersey did not support Lincoln in his elections. The Republicans passed the 13th amendment, but interestingly enough, the Democrats opposed this, and in the next election the Democrats swept out all the Republicans in the New Jersey State legislature and actually rescinded the 13th amendment. {time} 1545 So New Jersey did not pass the 13th amendment, refused to take up the debate on the 14th or 15th amendments. There was a time in our State where we were called, rather than down south was called up north or down north, because we did have problems, even in the North, attempting to get basic things like 13th amendment abolishing slavery; 14th amendment, due process under the law; and 15th amendment, giving the right to vote to all citizens. We still have to fight injustice. No one would think that our great Garden State, which today is such a leader in the right things, had such a spotted past and a troubled history. I urge support of this resolution. Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of this resolution that commends the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, which marks the beginning of the end of the deportation of slavery. This tremendous moment in time carries with it historical significance in African American history and culture. As many of my colleagues know, many of our ancestors were brought here in the grips of iron chains on slave ships. They were subjected to tremendous inhumane treatment. Many died and the ones that did survive were left to try and survive in a new and unforgiving world. Over the course of 4 centuries 11 to 12 million African men, women, and children were brought to the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America against their will. The transatlantic slave trade enabled the kidnapping, purchase, and commercial export of Africans, mostly from West and Central Africa between the 15th and late 19th century. Despite this ignoble beginning, the people of Africa created a noble culture that encompasses the African spirit of survival through adversity. Nevertheless, with all the horrors and inhumanity, the transatlantic slave trade was critical to the formation of the new world. We can now celebrate the trials, tribulations, accomplishments, and contributions of our ancestors. They certainly created and attained so much in history. Madam Speaker, I would like to share with you the words of Frederick Douglass, one of the most famous African American abolitionists, slave, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. He stated: Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blow, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. The struggle to end the transatlantic slave trade and slavery was achieved by African resistance and economic factors as well as through humanitarian campaigns. Africans fought tirelessly to overcome the brutal treatment that they endured. The years that our ancestors fought for freedom were among the most difficult times that Africans faced. It is because of the sacrifices that our ancestors made that African Americans are free today, and able to be part of this wonderful body. We must not forget what our ancestors have done for us. We must teach our children and the generations not yet born of the sacrifices that were made in the name of our freedom. We must continue to celebrate the anniversaries such as this so our history may never go forgotten. The 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade marks a tremendous accomplishment in African American history. It is with great honor that I am able to speak on such a significant part of my history. Mr. PAYNE. 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 New Jersey (Mr. Payne) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 158, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to. The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution encouraging the people of the United States, particularly the youth of the United States, to observe the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade and remember the life and legacy of William Wilberforce, a member of the British House of Commons who devoted his life to the suppression and abolition of the institution of slavery, and to work for the protection of human rights throughout the world''. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________