IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 434 
Celebrating the 10-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad Memo-
rial, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michi-
gan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 13, 2011 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself and Mr. CLARKE of Michigan) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Celebrating the 10-year commemoration of the Underground 
Railroad Memorial, comprised of the Gateway to Free-
dom Monument in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower 
of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. 
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were 
enslaved in the United States and the American colonies 
from 1619 through 1865; 
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were unspeakably de-
based, humiliated, dehumanized, brutally torn from their 
families and loved ones, and subjected to the indignity of 
being stripped of their names and heritage; 
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•HRES 434 IH 
Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent si-
lently escaped their chains to follow the perilous Under-
ground Railroad northward towards freedom in Canada; 
Whereas the Detroit River played a central role for these pas-
sengers of the Underground Railroad on their way to 
freedom; 
Whereas, in October 2001, the City of Detroit, Michigan, 
joined with Windsor and Essex County in Ontario, Can-
ada, to memorialize the courage of these freedom seekers 
with an international memorial to the Underground Rail-
road, comprising the Tower of Freedom Monument in 
Windsor and the Gateway to Freedom Monument in De-
troit; 
Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and immigrants 
who reached Canada from the United States created in 
Canadian society remain as tributes to the determination 
of their descendants to safeguard the history of the 
struggles and endurance of their forebears; 
Whereas the observance of the 10-year commemoration of the 
Underground Railroad Memorial will be celebrated from 
October 19 through October 22, 2011, and might include 
the designation of an International Freedom Corridor 
and the nomination of the historic Detroit River as an 
International World Heritage Site; 
Whereas the designation of an International Freedom Cor-
ridor would include the States of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, 
Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky, the Detroit, 
Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers, which traverse portions of 
these States, and any other sites associated within this 
International Freedom Corridor; 
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•HRES 434 IH 
Whereas the Detroit River might be designated as an Inter-
national World Heritage Site with further joint nomina-
tion by the National Park Service and the Parks Canada 
Agency for inclusion on the World Heritage Site list of 
the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural 
Organization as a testament to the shared history of the 
United States and Canada; 
Whereas a cooperative international partnership project is 
dedicated to education and research with the goal of pro-
moting cross-border understanding as well as economic 
development and cultural heritage tourism; 
Whereas, over the course of history, the United States has 
become a symbol of democracy and freedom around the 
world; and 
Whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with 
the fabric of democracy and freedom in the United 
States: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates the 10-year commemoration of 
the Underground Railroad Memorial, comprised of 
the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, 
Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in 
Windsor, Ontario, Canada; 
(2) supports the designation of an International 
Freedom Corridor and the nomination of the historic 
Detroit River as an International World Heritage 
Site; 
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•HRES 434 IH 
(3) recognizes that a National Park Service 
special resource study may establish national signifi-
cance, suitability, and feasibility of a National Free-
dom Corridor; and 
(4) acknowledges that the National Heritage 
Areas and Corridors are examples of recognitions 
that do not involve establishing a new unit of the 
National Park System, and for which the role of the 
National Park Service is primarily to assist State 
and local initiatives to preserve resources. 
Æ 
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