IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 755 

Recognizing and celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2018 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and celebrating Black History Month. 

Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2018 is ‘‘African Americans in Times of War,’’ which commemorates 

the centennial of the end of the First World War in 

1918, and explores the complex meanings and implications of this international struggle and its aftermath; 

Whereas this resolution will focus primarily on African Americans in the military, which is but one historically important aspect of this far reaching exploration of AfricanAmerican history; 

Whereas African Americans have fought for the United 

States throughout its history; 

Whereas despite racial segregation and discrimination, African Americans have played a significant role from the colonial period forward; 


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Whereas Crispus Attucks was a fugitive slave working outside 

of Boston, Massachusetts, as a sailor and during his time 

off, he worked as a rope maker near the wharf; 

Whereas in early 1770, competition for work and wages became stiff as British soldiers were contending for the 

same unskilled positions as the locals; 

Whereas this situation created tension which slowly escalated 

to violent confrontations; 

Whereas on March 5, 1770, Attucks led a group of rope makers and sailors into a confrontation with a group of British soldiers and subsequently was shot and killed; 

Whereas Crispus Attucks, a Black man, is generally considered to be the first casualty of the Revolutionary War 

and is remembered as the first of many notable AfricanAmerican heroes; 

Whereas Araminta Ross, better known as Harriet Tubman, 

was born into slavery in Maryland and escaped to freedom in the North in 1849 to become the most famous 

conductor on the Underground Railroad; 

Whereas Araminta Ross was a leading abolitionist before the 

American Civil War and also helped the Union Army during the war, working as a spy among other roles; 

Whereas Araminta Ross, a Black woman, was the first 

woman to lead an armed expedition during the Civil War; 

Whereas Araminta Ross guided the Combahee River Raid, 

which liberated more than 700 slaves in South Carolina; 

Whereas Powhatan Beaty was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, in 1837; 

Whereas when the Civil War broke out, Beaty enlisted in the 

Union army; 


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Whereas Powhatan Beaty, a Black man, was quickly promoted to sergeant and oversaw 47 other Black recruits 

in noncombat jobs; 

Whereas in September 1864, Beaty’s division attacked the 

enemy at Chaffin’s farm, near Richmond, Virginia; 

Whereas with all of the unit’s officers and most of its enlisted 

men dead or wounded, Beaty took over and led a second 

charge, driving the enemy back; 

Whereas for his heroism, Beaty was awarded the Medal of 

Honor; 

Whereas during the Civil War, approximately 40,000 African 

Americans were killed in action; 

Whereas Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., entered the military 

service on July 13, 1898, during the Spanish-American 

War as a temporary first lieutenant of the 8th United 

States Volunteer Infantry; 

Whereas on June 18, 1899, he enlisted as a private in the 

9th Calvary of the Regular Army; 

Whereas Davis eventually came under the command of 

Charles Young, whom at the time was the only AfricanAmerican Officer serving in the U.S. military; 

Whereas Young took Davis under his tutelage and helped him 

to prepare to take his officer candidate test; 

Whereas in only two years, he rose to sergeant major and 

earned a commission as a second lieutenant in 1901; 

Whereas Benjamin Oliver Davis, a Black man, rose through 

the ranks and became the first African American to 

achieve the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. military; 

Whereas during World War I, approximately 800 African 

Americans were killed in action; 


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Whereas Doris Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Mess Attendant where he served on the USS West Virginia when 

the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 

1941; 

Whereas Miller was assigned to carry the wounded sailors to 

safer quarters; 

Whereas he returned to the deck and picked up a 50-caliber 

Browning antiaircraft machine gun that he had never 

been trained to shoot and managed to shoot down enemy 

aircraft; 

Whereas Doris Miller, a Black man, was commended by the 

Secretary of the Navy and became the first African 

American to be presented with the Navy Cross; 

Whereas before 1940, African Americans were barred from 

flying for the U.S. military; 

Whereas civil rights organizations and the Black press exerted pressure on President Roosevelt, which resulted in 

the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen based in 

Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941; 

Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, 

bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, 

and the personnel who kept the planes and pilots in the 

air; 

Whereas the Black Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation 

and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected 

fighter groups of World War II; 

Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements helped pave 

the way for full integration of the U.S. military; 

Whereas during World War II, approximately 700 African 

Americans were killed in action; 


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Whereas Cornelius Charlton, a career military man, served in 

the Army during the Korean War; 

Whereas on June 2, 1951, his platoon encountered heavy resistance while attempting to take Hill 543 and the leader 

of his platoon was wounded; 

Whereas Charlton took command, regrouped his men and led 

an assault on the hill; 

Whereas he single-handedly attacked and disabled the last remaining enemy gun encampments; 

Whereas he subsequently died from the wounds inflicted by 

a grenade but he is credited with saving much of his platoon; 

Whereas Cornelius Charlton, a Black man, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions near Chipo-ri, 

South Korea; 

Whereas African Americans literally fought for the right to 

die in defense of their country; 

Whereas in the face of injustices, many African Americans 

distinguished themselves with their commitment to the 

noble ideas upon which the United States was founded 

and courageously fought for the rights and freedom of all 

Americans; 

Whereas the preservation and teaching of Black history are 

nationally recognized due to the efforts of Dr. Carter G. 

Woodson and his establishment of Negro History Week, 

the precursor to Black History Month; 

Whereas Black History Month, which represents Dr. Carter 

G. Woodson’s efforts to enhance knowledge of Black history, started through the Journal of Negro History, pubVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 28, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR755.IH HR755

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lished by Woodson’s Association for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life and History; and 

Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as 

Black History Month, which dates back to 1926 when 

Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time 

in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of 

Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original Black 

4 History Month Resolution of 2018’’. 

5 SEC. 2. RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY 

6 MONTH. 

7 Congress— 

8 (1) recognizes the significance of Black History 

9 Month as an important time to acknowledge and cel10 ebrate the contributions of African Americans in the 

11 Nation’s history, and encourages the continued cele12 bration of this month to provide an opportunity for 

13 all peoples of the United States to learn more about 

14 the past and to better understand the experiences 

15 that have shaped the Nation; 

16 (2) recognizes that ethnic and racial diversity of 

17 the United States enriches and strengthens the Na18 tion; and 

19 (3) encourages all States to include in their 

20 year-round educational curriculum the history and 


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1 contributions of African Americans in the United 

2 States and around the world. 

Æ 


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