III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 236 

Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the 

British Empire on August 1, 1834. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 3, 2009 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. VOINOVICH, Mr. HARKIN, and Mr. 

BROWNBACK) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 

and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the abolition of 

slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834. 

Whereas the United States and the United Kingdom have become beacons of freedom and democracy around the 

world; 

Whereas the history of the people of Africa is inextricably 

tied to the histories of the United States and the United 

Kingdom; 

Whereas, for centuries, millions of people from Africa and 

their descendants were enslaved in the United States and 

the territories of the British Empire; 

Whereas the slave trade spanned many regions of the world, 

including Africa, the Caribbean, the United States, and 

territories of the British Empire; 


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•SRES 236 ATS 

Whereas the people of Africa forced into slavery were dehumanized, humiliated, abused, and often separated from 

their families to be sold; 

Whereas the institution of slavery, predicated upon racist beliefs, infected and corrupted the social fabrics of the 

United States and the United Kingdom; 

Whereas the Underground Railroad embodied courage, hospitality, and fortitude, and served as an impetus for the 

abolition of slavery; 

Whereas the Underground Railroad provided a means of escape from slavery by incorporating a network of abolitionists, secret routes, and safe houses throughout the 

United States and the territories of the British Empire; 

Whereas the efforts of Harriet Tubman and like-minded abolitionists in the Underground Railroad helped tens of 

thousands of slaves escape to freedom during the early 

19th century; 

Whereas Harriet Tubman demonstrated her fearless devotion 

to liberty during her service as a conductor on the Underground Railroad and was responsible for leading fugitive slaves through the countryside to safe houses; 

Whereas Harriet Tubman became known as ‘‘Moses’’ among 

slaves and abolitionists because her estimated 19 trips in 

the decade following her emancipation in 1849 to States 

that permitted slavery led to the liberation of approximately 300 slaves; 

Whereas the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 jeopardized the 

safety of escaped slaves in the United States; 

Whereas the establishment of Underground Railroad safe 

houses in Canada, a territory of the British Empire, provided a safe haven for escaped slaves; 


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•SRES 236 ATS 

Whereas the abolition of slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834, established a chief terminal for the Underground Railroad and laid the foundation for the eventual 

abolition of slavery in the United States; 

Whereas the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal 

Church in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, served as an 

important center of abolitionist activity and served as the 

final destination for many escaped slaves; 

Whereas many freed slaves became members of Salem Chapel 

British Methodist Episcopal Church and settled in the 

community; and 

Whereas the abolition of slavery in the British Empire influenced the United States by setting the precedent that the 

dehumanizing practice of slavery would not, and could 

not, be tolerated if a Nation is to conform with the fundamental tenets of democracy and equality for all people: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the fundamental importance of 

3 the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in the 

4 history of the United States and Canada; and 

5 (2) celebrates the 175th anniversary of the abo6 lition of slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 

7 1834. 

Æ 


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