IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 803 
Recognizing National Emancipation Day, marking the 150th anniversary of 
the end of slavery in areas of rebellion, and the significance of the 
Emancipation Proclamation in the struggle for the equal rights and 
freedoms afforded to all United States citizens. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 
Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 
RANGEL, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Georgia, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. RICHARD-
SON, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. CHU, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 
LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. FILNER, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. 
FATTAH, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. WATT, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Mr. FARR, Mr. POLIS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. DINGELL, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. ROYBAL- 
ALLARD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. 
COHEN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. EDWARDS, and Ms. WATERS) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing National Emancipation Day, marking the 150th 
anniversary of the end of slavery in areas of rebellion, 
and the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation 
in the struggle for the equal rights and freedoms af-
forded to all United States citizens. 
Whereas the enslavement of Africans in the American colo-
nies began in 1619, when 20 Africans were brought to 
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•HRES 803 IH 
the Virginia colony at Jamestown, marking the beginning 
of more than 200 years of captivity for Africans in Amer-
ica; 
Whereas, on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil 
War and in accordance with the war powers vested to 
him, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emanci-
pation Proclamation as an executive order, legally eman-
cipating millions of slaves in the States of South Caro-
lina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, 
Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina; 
Whereas, on December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment 
to the United States Constitution, which reads ‘‘Neither 
slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment 
for crime whereof the party shall have been duly con-
victed, shall exist within the United States, or any place 
subject to their jurisdiction’’, was adopted and effectively 
outlawed slavery in the United States; 
Whereas the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation was 
a significant precursor to the adoption of the Thirteenth, 
Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United 
States Constitution, also known as the Reconstruction 
Amendments, adopted between 1865 and 1870, as well as 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Voting Rights 
Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 among 
others; and 
Whereas slaves and their descendants in the United States 
have contributed significantly to the foundation, growth, 
diversity, and leadership of the United States: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog-
nizes National Emancipation Day, marking the 150th an-
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•HRES 803 IH 
niversary of the beginning of the end of slavery in areas 
of rebellion, and the significance of the Emancipation 
Proclamation in the struggle for the equal rights and free-
doms afforded to all United States citizens. 
Æ 
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