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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 613 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 613

Honoring the life and work of William Wilberforce and commemorating the 
200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 14, 2006

   Mr. Santorum (for himself and Mr. Pryor) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

Honoring the life and work of William Wilberforce and commemorating the 
200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain.

Whereas William Wilberforce, born August 25, 1759, used his position as a Member 
        of Parliament in the House of Commons to stop the slave trade in Great 
        Britain, proclaiming, ``I [will] never rest until I have effected 
        [slavery's] abolition.'';
Whereas William Wilberforce displayed remarkable perserverance in answering the 
        call of social justice and fought the slave trade in Great Britain and 
        slavery itself for 46 years, despite the national and personal financial 
        interests aligned against him, the public criticism and slander he 
        endured, and the stress and pain placed on his family;
Whereas William Wilberforce rested his political career on the ideals of 
        stewardship, respect for the rights of others, advancing the views of 
        others, and promoting the happiness of others, and proclaimed, ``Let 
        every one . . . regulate his conduct by the golden rule . . . and the 
        path of duty will be clear before him.'';
Whereas William Wilberforce defended the rights of slaves who had no voice in 
        the legislature of Great Britain and committed himself to sweeping 
        social reform in his country;
Whereas William Wilberforce joined with Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Thomas 
        Clarkson, Olaudah Equiano, Harriet Martineau, Hannah More, and other 
        great abolitionists in Great Britain;
Whereas William Wilberforce inspired abolitionists in the United States, 
        including William Lloyd Garrison, John Greenleaf Whittier, Ralph Waldo 
        Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Harriet Beecher Stowe;
Whereas William Wilberforce also influenced John Quincy Adams, James Monroe, 
        John Jay, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin, along with many 
        leaders in the African-American community, among them William Wells 
        Brown, Paul Cuffe, and Benjamin Hughes;
Whereas Frederick Douglass said, ``it was the faithful, persistent and enduring 
        enthusiasm of . . . William Wilberforce . . . and [his] noble co-
        workers, that finally thawed the British heart into sympathy for the 
        slave, and moved the strong arm of the government in mercy to put an end 
        to his bondage.''; and
Whereas March 25, 2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave 
        trade in Great Britain: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the life and work of William Wilberforce; and
            (2) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the abolition of 
        the slave trade in Great Britain and its impact on similar 
        efforts in the United States.
                                 <all>
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