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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 407 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 407

   Recognizing the African American Spiritual as a national treasure.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 28, 2006

Mr. Menendez submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the African American Spiritual as a national treasure.

Whereas, since slavery was introduced into the European colonies in 1619, 
        enslaved Africans remained in bondage until the United States ratified 
        the 13th amendment to the Constitution in 1865;
Whereas, during that period of the history of the United States, the first 
        expression of that unique American music was created by enslaved African 
        Americans who--

    (1) used their knowledge of the English language and the Christian 
religious faith, as it had been taught to them in the New World; and

    (2) stealthily wove within the music their experience of coping with 
human servitude and their strong desire to be free;

Whereas, as a method of survival, enslaved African Americans who were forbidden 
        to speak their native languages, play musical instruments they had used 
        in Africa, or practice their traditional religious beliefs, relied on 
        their strong African oral tradition of songs, stories, proverbs, and 
        historical accounts to create this original music, now known as 
        spirituals;
Whereas Calvin Earl, a noted performer and educator on African American 
        spirituals, remarked that the Christian lyrics became a metaphor for 
        freedom from slavery, a secret way for slaves to ``communicate with each 
        other, teach their children, record their history, and heal their 
        pain.'';
Whereas the New Jersey Historical Commission found that ``some of those daring 
        and artful runaway slaves who entered New Jersey by way of the 
        Underground Railroad no doubt sang the words of old Negro spirituals 
        like `Steal Away' before embarking on their perilous journey north.'';
Whereas African American spirituals spread all over the United States, and the 
        songs we know of today may only represent a small portion of the total 
        number of spirituals that once existed;
Whereas Frederick Douglass, a fugitive slave who would become one of the leading 
        abolitionists of the United States, remarked that the spirituals ``told 
        a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; 
        they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and 
        complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone 
        was a testimony against slavery and a prayer to God for deliverance from 
        chains....''; and
Whereas the American Folklife Preservation Act (Public Law 105-275; 20 U.S.C. 
        2101 note) finds that ``the diversity inherent in American folklife has 
        contributed greatly to the cultural richness of the nation and has 
        fostered a sense of individuality and identity among the American 
        people.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes that African American spirituals are a 
        poignant and powerful genre of music that have become one of 
        the most significant segments of American music in existence;
            (2) expresses the deepest gratitude, recognition, and honor 
        to the former enslaved Africans in the United States for their 
        gifts to our Nation, including their original music and oral 
        history; and
            (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation that 
        reflects on the important contribution of African American 
        spirituals to American history, and naming the African American 
        spiritual a national treasure.
                                 <all>
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