HR0086 LRB096 11093 AJO 21429 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The contributions of many African-Americans have
3 been left out of numerous history books; and
 
4     WHEREAS, More than 12 million slaves were shipped to the
5 Americas and of those, 645,000 were brought to the United
6 States; by the 1860 census, the slave population in the United
7 States had grown to approximately 4 million persons; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Enslaved labor was necessary for colonial empires
9 to survive in America and without the contributions of slaves
10 performing the jobs necessary to the building of the United
11 States, our country would not have developed into the strong
12 nation that it is today; and
 
13     WHEREAS, In the maritime industry, slave labor was needed
14 to load, unload, and transport goods around the United States
15 and abroad; in the South, slave labor was necessary to clear
16 the fields, plant, tend, and harvest the crops, especially the
17 crops of tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane, as well as to
18 transport the crops to market; the enslaved performed all kinds
19 of jobs within the United States; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Not only did African-Americans contribute to the
21 development of this country, they fought for its freedom as

 

 

HR0086 - 2 - LRB096 11093 AJO 21429 r

1 well; African-Americans have fought in all wars, from the
2 American Revolution to our present wars; and
 
3     WHEREAS, It would be fitting to honor the contributions of
4 African-American slaves in the United States by a declaration
5 of the United States Congress that commemorates those efforts
6 and sacrifices; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9 the Illinois State House of Representatives urges the Congress
10 to honor the contributions of African-American slaves in the
11 United States by declaring that every February 28th shall be
12 designated as Honor the Contributions of African-American
13 Slaves in the United States Day; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15 delivered to the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the
16 United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the
17 United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
18 the Illinois congressional delegation.