FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ,  Wednesday, June 27, 2007                                                                                

 

CONTACT: Adriana Surfas , (DeLauro), 202/225-3661;  Stephanie Valencia, (Larson), 202/225-2265;  Kate Szostak (Dodd) 202/224-5372;  Rob Sawicki (Lieberman) 202/224-9965;  John Cardarelli (Shays), 202/225-5541;  Kristen Bossi, (Murphy), 202/225-4476;  Brian Farber, (Courtney), 202/225-2076

 

CT Delegation Honors Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month 2007 Atlantic Freedom Tour

 

Marks 200th Anniversary of the Elimination of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Washington , D.C. – The entire Connecticut delegation introduced a resolution to applaud the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month 2007 Atlantic Freedom Tour, which will recognize the critical role the Amistad played in ending the transatlantic slave trade.  This journey will preserve the ship’s legacy and in doing so will help promote multi-cultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.

“As the freedom Schooner Amistad sets sail on a 14-month journey, its voyage serves as an opportunity to remind us of our history and the struggle for freedom and the elimination of slavery.  The Amistad is a strong symbol that even the darkest hours of our nation’s history can ultimately provide the tools for change.  I hope that this anniversary voyage will begin dialogues around the country and around the globe about the struggle for liberty that continues today,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro .

Below is the text of the resolution:

Recognizing the historical and educational significance of the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month 2007 Atlantic Freedom Tour, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that preserving the legacy of the Amistad story is important in  promoting multi-cultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.

Whereas the 1807 Act of the British Parliament was the first major initiative that abolished the slave trade and began the march to end slavery;

Whereas, in 1839, 53 Africans were illegally kidnapped from Sierra Leone and sold into the transatlantic slave trade;

Whereas the captives were brought to Havana , Cuba aboard the Portuguese vessel Tecora, where they were fraudulently classified as native-born Cuban slaves;

Whereas the African captives were sold to Spaniards Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez, who transferred them to the coastal cargo schooner, La Amistad;

Whereas the African captives, while being transferred from Havana, Cuba up the coast in the Amistad, revolted after 3 days and ordered the schooner head east back to their native Africa;

Whereas, on the evening of the rebellion, the Amistad was secretly directed back west and up the coast of North America, where after 2 months the Africans were seized and arrested in New London, Connecticut;

Whereas, the captives were jailed and awaited trial in New Haven, Connecticut, and the case became historic when former President John Quincy Adams argued on behalf of the enslaved Africans before the United States Supreme Court and won their freedom;

Whereas, in 2007, the Freedom Schooner Amistad will embark on its first transatlantic voyage to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; and

Whereas the Amistad case represents an opportunity to call to public attention the evils of slavery, the struggle for freedom, and the restoration of human dignity:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That—

(1) the House of Representatives—

(A) recognizes the historical and educational significance of the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s Atlantic Freedom Tour; and

(B) encourages the people of the United States to learn about United States history and better understand the experiences that have shaped the United States; and

(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that preserving the legacy of the Amistad should be regarded as a means in fostering multi-cultural dialogue, education, and cooperation.