III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 44 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2005 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself and Mr. COLEMAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

Whereas the first African Americans were brought forcibly to 

these shores as early as the 17th century; 

Whereas African Americans were enslaved in the United 

States and subsequently faced the injustices of lynch 

mobs, segregation, and denial of basic, fundamental 

rights; 

Whereas in spite of these injustices, African Americans have 

made significant contributions to the economic, educational, political, artistic, literary, scientific, and technological advancement of the United States; 

Whereas in the face of these injustices Americans of all races 

distinguished themselves in their commitment to the 

ideals on which the United States was founded, and 

fought for the rights of African Americans; 
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•SRES 44 IS

Whereas the greatness of America is reflected in the contributions of African Americans in all walks of life 

throughout the history of the United States: in the 

writings of W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, Ralph 

Ellison, and Alex Haley; in the music of Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington; in the resolve of 

athletes such as Jackie Robinson and Muhammed Ali; in 

the vision of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, 

Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; and in 

the bravery of those who stood on the front lines in the 

battle against oppression such as Harriet Tubman and 

Rosa Parks; 

Whereas the United States of America was conceived, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, as a new nation 

dedicated to the proposition that ‘‘all Men are created 

equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness’’; 

Whereas the actions of Americans of all races demonstrate 

their commitment to that proposition: actions such as 

those of Allan Pinkerton, Thomas Garrett, and the Rev. 

John Rankin who served as conductors on the Underground Railroad; actions such as those of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who shined a light on the injustices of slavery; actions such as those of President Abraham Lincoln, 

who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and Senator 

Lyman Trumbull, who introduced the 13th Amendment 

to the Constitution of the United States; actions such as 

those of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Chief Justice 

Earl Warren, Senator Mike Mansfield, and Senator Hubert Humphrey, who fought to end segregation and the 

denial of civil rights to African Americans; and the thou-
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sands of Americans of all races who marched side-by-side 

with African Americans during the civil rights movement; 

Whereas since its founding the United States has been an imperfect work in progress toward these noble goals; 

Whereas American History is the story of a people regularly 

affirming high ideals, striving to reach them but often 

failing, and then struggling to come to terms with the 

disappointment of that failure before recommitting themselves to trying again; 

Whereas from the beginning of our Nation the most conspicuous and persistent failure of Americans to reach our 

noble goals has been the enslavement of African Americans and the resulting racism; 

Whereas the crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following 

Reconstruction; 

Whereas the Federal Government failed to put an end to 

slavery until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 

1865, repeatedly failed to enact a federal anti-lynching 

law, and still struggles to deal with the evils of racism; 

and 

Whereas the fact that 61 percent of African American 4th 

graders read at a below basic level and only 16 percent 

of native born African Americans have earned a Bachelor’s degree; 50 percent of all new HIV cases are reported in African Americans; and the leading cause of 

death for African American males ages 15 to 34 is homicide demonstrates that the United States continues to 

struggle to reach the high ideal of equal opportunity for 

all Americans: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 
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1 (1) acknowledges the tragedies of slavery, 

2 lynching, segregation, and condemns them as an in3 fringement on human liberty and equal opportunity 

4 so that they will stand forever as a reminder of what 

5 can happen when Americans fail to live up to their 

6 noble goals; 

7 (2) honors those Americans who during the 

8 time of slavery, lynching, and segregation risked 

9 their lives in the underground railway and in other 

10 efforts to assist fugitive slaves and other African 

11 Americans who might have been targets and victims 

12 of lynch mobs and those who have stood beside Afri13 can Americans in the fight for equal opportunity 

14 that continues to this day; 

15 (3) reaffirms its commitment to the founding 

16 principles of the United States of America that ‘‘all 

17 Men are created equal, that they are endowed by 

18 their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that 

19 among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of 

20 Happiness’’; and 

21 (4) commits itself to addressing those situations 

22 in which the African American community struggles 

23 with disparities in education, health care, and other 
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1 areas where the Federal Government can play a role 

2 in improving conditions for all Americans. 

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