IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 466

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the

continued display of Confederate flags.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 6, 2000

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. HILLIARD, Ms. MILLENDERMCDONALD, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mrs. MEEKS of Florida, Mr.

OWENS, Ms. CARSON, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas,

Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. CLAY, Mr. WYNN, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. BROWN of

Florida, Mr. DIXON, Mr. RUSH, Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut, Mr.

CUMMINGS, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. MEEKS

of New York, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. LEE, Mr. FROST, Mr.

FILNER, and Mr. RANGEL) submitted the following resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with

regard to the continued display of Confederate flags.

Whereas in his 1861 speech entitled ‘‘Slavery the Cornerstone of the Confederacy’’, Alexander H. Stephens, the

Vice President of the Confederate States of America stated, ‘‘The prevailing ideas entertained by [Thomas Jefferson] and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the

formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and

politically. . . . Our new government is founded upon ex-
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actly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is

not equal to the white man; that slavery—subordination

to the superior race—is his natural and normal condition’’;

Whereas article 1, section 9, clause 4 of the Constitution of

the Confederate States of America provides that ‘‘[n]o

bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be

passed’’;

Whereas article 4, section 3, clause 3 of that Constitution

provides that ‘‘[i]n all such territory the institution of

negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States,

shall be recognized and protected by Congress and the

territorial government’’;

Whereas the pledge of allegiance to the Confederate flag

states, ‘‘I salute the Confederate Flag, with affection,

reverence, and undying devotion to the cause for which

it stands’’;

Whereas the first, second, and third official Confederate

flags, the Confederate Navy Jack, and the Confederate

battle flag are all direct representations of the Confederacy and its documented advocacy of the subordination

of people of African descent through the perpetuation of

the slave trade;

Whereas many white supremacist groups recognize the inherently racist implications of the flag and frequently use it

as a historically significant representation of their

present day desire to strip nonwhites, frequently through

wanton acts of violence, of the rights guaranteed them by
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the United States Constitution and relegate them to the

position of noncitizens and, in some cases, nonhumans;

Whereas the State of Georgia has introduced legislation to remove the Confederate flag from its official State flag;

Whereas the Civil War is the most divisive domestic insurrection in our shared national history and continues to be

a culturally polemic issue among many segments of the

American population; and

Whereas the Confederacy was defeated in its attempt to destroy the United States of America by tearing the Nation

apart: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives does not

2 support, condone, or encourage the use or display of the

3 first, second, or third official Confederate flag, the Confed4 erate Navy Jack, or the Confederate battle flag (more

5 commonly know as the ‘‘Southern Cross’’) for any reason

6 other than as a historic reminder of the secession of the

7 Confederate States, which prompted the violent, bloody,

8 and divisive Civil War, and of the Confederacy’s flagrant

9 disregard for the equality of all Americans in accordance

10 with the United States Constitution and in the eyes of

11 God.

Æ