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 his-
tory; 
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 occu-
pation by the Fascist government of Italy; 
Whereas in 615, the people of Ethiopia welcomed the fol-
lowers of the Prophet Mohammed, including the Proph-
et’s wife; 
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•HRES 550 IH 
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 construc-
tion of Lalibela, a group of 11 medieval monolithic rock- 
hewn 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 Na-
tions 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 de-
feated the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adwa 
in 1896; 
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•HRES 550 IH 
Whereas United States-Ethiopian relations were established 
on December 27, 1903, by Emperor Menelik and Presi-
dent 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 bor-
ders 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 Em-
peror 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 Orga-
nization 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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