IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 550 

Congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the second millennium of Ethiopia, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 16, 2007 

Mr. HONDA (for himself and Mr. PAYNE) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the second 

millennium of Ethiopia, and for other purposes. 

Whereas Ethiopia is a proud country with a long, rich history; 

Whereas the earliest known hominid, internationally known 

as Lucy and classified as the Australopithecus Afarensis, 

was found in Ethiopia; 

Whereas Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was 

never colonized, with the exception of the 6 years of occupation by the Fascist government of Italy; 

Whereas in 615, the people of Ethiopia welcomed the followers of the Prophet Mohammed, including the Prophet’s wife; 


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Whereas in the 9th century, Ethiopians discovered coffee in 

what is now known as the Kaffa region; 

Whereas in 1137, the Zagwe Dynasty came to power in the 

Christian Highlands of Ethiopia; 

Whereas the Zagwe Dynasty is responsible for the construction of Lalibela, a group of 11 medieval monolithic rockhewn churches of the 13th-century; 

Whereas Lalibela was recognized as a wonder of the world in 

1978 by the World Heritage mission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 

(UNESCO); 

Whereas in 1270, Yekuno Amlak took power from the last 

ruler of the Zagwe Dynasty, Emperor Habre II, restoring 

the Solomonic Dynasty in Ethiopia; 

Whereas in 1529, Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, also known 

as Ahmad the Left-Handed or in Amharic Ahmad Gran, 

invaded Ethiopia and by 1535 his forces took control of 

southern and central regions of Ethiopia; 

Whereas in 1543, Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos defeated 

the occupation forces of Gran, who was killed in battle; 

Whereas Emperor Tewdros II began the modernization of 

Ethiopia and led a successful campaign to unify Ethiopia; 

Whereas on April 10, 1868, Emperor Tewdros committed 

suicide rather than surrender to the invading forces of 

Britain in the Battle of Maqdal; 

Whereas in 1889, King Menelik II of Shoa became Emperor 

of Ethiopia and ruled Ethiopia until 1913; 

Whereas the proud and courageous people of Ethiopia defeated the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adwa 

in 1896; 


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Whereas United States-Ethiopian relations were established 

on December 27, 1903, by Emperor Menelik and President Theodore Roosevelt; 

Whereas since then, the Ethiopian-American community has 

grown to become the second largest African immigrant 

group in the United States; 

Whereas in 1908, colonial powers recognized Ethiopia’s borders and sovereignty; 

Whereas in 1917, railroad work connecting Addis Ababa, the 

capital, and Djibouti was completed; 

Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia officially banned the slave trade; 

Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia joined the League of Nations; 

Whereas in 1931, the Bank of Ethiopia was founded; 

Whereas in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia; 

Whereas Emperor Haile Selassie modernized Ethiopia, kept 

the country united, and largely peaceful; 

Whereas Ethiopia played a pivotal role in creating the Organization of Africa Unity (OAU), which was founded on 

May 25, 1963; 

Whereas Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, became the headquarters of 

the OAU and remains the headquarters of its successor, 

the African Union; 

Whereas in 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie was ousted from 

power through a military coup by a military junta known 

as the Derg; 

Whereas in May 1991, the brutal dictatorship of the Derg 

came to an end after a 17-year reign of terror; 


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Whereas Ethiopia played an important role in the struggle 

for freedom for many African countries during the colonial period; 

Whereas in January 1962, freedom fighter Nelson Mandela 

in his address before the Pan African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa (PAFMECA) declared 

the following: ‘‘It was not without reason, we believe, that 

the Secretariat of PAFMECA chose as the seat of this 

conference the great country of Ethiopia, which, with 

hundreds of years of colorful history behind it, can rightly claim to have paid the full price of freedom and independence. His Imperial Majesty, himself a rich and unfailing fountain of wisdom, has been foremost in promoting the cause of unity, independence, and progress in 

Africa, as was so amply demonstrated in the address he 

graciously delivered in opening this assembly.’’; and 

Whereas the 8th African Union Summit, held from January 

29–30, 2007, officially declared the second Ethiopian millennium as the second African millennium: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) congratulates the people of Ethiopia on the 

3 second millennium of Ethiopia; 

4 (2) recognizes the long, rich history of Ethiopia; 

5 (3) commends Ethiopia’s contribution to peace 

6 and stability on the African continent through the 

7 role it played in the creation of the Organization of 

8 African Unity (OAU); 


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1 (4) recognizes the longstanding relationship be2 tween Ethiopia and the United States; 

3 (5) commends the organizers of the second mil4 lennium celebration in Ethiopia and the United 

5 States; and 

6 (6) calls for a peaceful and jubilant celebration 

7 of the second millennium of Ethiopia. 

Æ 


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