HR0086 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0086 LRB096 11093 AJO 21429 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The contributions of many African-Americans have been left out of numerous history books; and

WHEREAS, More than 12 million slaves were shipped to the Americas and of those, 645,000 were brought to the United States; by the 1860 census, the slave population in the United States had grown to approximately 4 million persons; and

WHEREAS, Enslaved labor was necessary for colonial empires to survive in America and without the contributions of slaves performing the jobs necessary to the building of the United States, our country would not have developed into the strong nation that it is today; and

WHEREAS, In the maritime industry, slave labor was needed to load, unload, and transport goods around the United States and abroad; in the South, slave labor was necessary to clear the fields, plant, tend, and harvest the crops, especially the crops of tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane, as well as to transport the crops to market; the enslaved performed all kinds of jobs within the United States; and

WHEREAS, Not only did African-Americans contribute to the development of this country, they fought for its freedom as well; African-Americans have fought in all wars, from the American Revolution to our present wars; and

WHEREAS, It would be fitting to honor the contributions of African-American slaves in the United States by a declaration of the United States Congress that commemorates those efforts and sacrifices; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Illinois State House of Representatives urges the Congress to honor the contributions of African-American slaves in the United States by declaring that every February 28th shall be designated as Honor the Contributions of African-American Slaves in the United States Day; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.