Encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, Census and Agency Organization, I want to first of all thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis), the chairman of the subcommittee, for her cosponsorship of this resolution and for helping to quickly move it to the House floor for action.

House Concurrent Resolution 36 encourages the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commends President Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery.

Though a man of humble beginnings, Abraham Lincoln rose to become the 16th President of the United States of America and became the man who attempted to end the heinous act of slavery while preserving the Union.

On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It was an historic act, because it freed many slaves and made a statement about the cruelty of slavery. The premise of the Emancipation Proclamation can be linked to a speech Lincoln made at Gettysburg in which he stated, ``Four score and 7 years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new Nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.''

President Lincoln's proclamation did not end slavery. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution did that on December 18, 1865. The 14th amendment established Negroes citizens of the United States, and the 15th amendment granted Negroes the right to vote. It was the Emancipation Proclamation, however, that paved the way for these amendments to the Constitution.

Our citizenship and privileges of blacks were always questioned and, in many situations, denied until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This was 39 years ago that Jim Crow laws were subjugating and denying Negroes the right to vote in certain southern States, the imposition of poll taxes, the segregation of schools, housing, bus and train transportation, restrooms, and other public accommodations. Since the struggle of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, many African Americans are still seeking economic emancipation, equality in education, employment, business, housing, health care, and access to capital. Although African Americans as a people have made great strides in America, we still have a long way to go to achieve and live up to the creed of America's Founding Fathers that all men are indeed created equal.

When it comes to equality in homeownership, the rate among white households is about 74.2 percent, compared to 47.1 percent for African Americans. This huge gap between white and black homeowners will continue to be the primary factor that will undermine

the growth of African Americans and their family structure to obtain wealth, capital assets, and better neighborhoods.

When it comes to equality in education, the number of whites who possess bachelor's or higher degree is about 34 million compared to 2.6 million for blacks.

For post-secondary education, whites are about 72 percent compared to 11 percent for blacks who are attending degree-granting colleges and universities.

As for poverty, there are 32.9 million poor people in America. The poverty rate is about 22.7 percent for blacks compared to 9.9 percent for whites. The unemployment rate for whites is 3.3 percent compared to 6.3 percent for blacks who are continuing to seek employment.

When it comes to crime and justice, America is 5 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent of the world's prison population is in U.S. jails and prisons. The United States incarcerates 2,100,146 persons. Whites are about 36 percent compared to 46 percent for blacks in prisons. As some of us know, about 70 percent of the prison population is attributed to drug convictions. The law is not equally applied when it comes to drug offenses involving crack and powder cocaine. Five grams of crack cocaine brings a mandatory sentence of 5 years, compared to 5 grams of powder cocaine which has no sentencing requirements, and the possessor of powder cocaine may get probation. Mr. Speaker, 89 percent of the blacks are sentenced for crack cocaine possession, compared to 75 percent for whites who possess powder cocaine. Yet, 59 percent of the users of crack cocaine are white.

Equality is the principle and spirit of the Constitution where all men and women are seen as God's children created in His image. And if this was accomplished, then African Americans would have 2 million more high school diplomas, 2 million more college degrees, nearly 2 million more professional and managerial jobs, and nearly $200 billion more in income. And if America practices equality in housing, then African Americans would own 3 million more homes. If America had equality in access to capital and wealth, then African Americans would have $1 trillion more in wealth.

Mr. Speaker, although we passed the Emancipation Proclamation and although we have come a great distance, there are still some roads to travel. So I encourage all of my colleagues to embrace and support this resolution as a tool to reflect the spirit, strength, and legacy of freedom, justice, and equality for all people of America and to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about the past and know how we can build a better future.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that I have any other requests for time, but I would indicate that I am again pleased and proud to live in the State of Illinois, the home of Lincoln, the man who signed the Emancipation Proclamation and made a great movement towards freeing the slaves in this country.

I also want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), for his comments, and again thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis), the chairman of the subcommittee, for her co-sponsorship and swift action on moving this resolution to the floor; and I urge all of my colleagues to support this concurrent resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 36--Encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery. To this end, this legislation serves both to remind us of the tremendous strides this nation has made toward ensuring life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens and to recognize Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, for his commitment to these ideals.

On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln took a bold step towards eradicating the horrible institution of slavery in this country by issuing a preliminary proclamation, which declared ``all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.''

Perhaps the three most significant documents in U.S. history that exemplify America's passion for freedom are the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Although each has maintained its rightful place in the annals of American history, only the Bill of Rights and the Constitution have identifiable dates and cultural festivities. Each year, the United States celebrates the Fourth of July, Constitution Day, and Flag Day, all of which have developed into an expression and ceremony of appreciation by the American People with special events emphasizing the historical importance of these significant documents.

However, the Emancipation Proclamation, which is particularly significant to African Americans, has not until recently received its rightful day of national appreciation. With the resurgence of the African American community's celebration of Juneteenth, America is growing in its awareness and appreciation of this highly meaningful document.

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is the name given to emancipation day by African-Americans in Texas. On that day in 1865, six months after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order #3 to the people of Galveston. General Order #3 stated ``The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.''

Large celebrations on June 19 began in 1866 and continued regularly into the early 20th century. In many parts of Texas, ex-slaves purchased land, or ``emancipation grounds,'' for the Juneteenth gathering. One example of this is Emancipation Park in Houston, which was purchased in 1872.

Since this moment in our nation's history, the Juneteenth celebration has spread to the neighboring states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It has also appeared in Alabama, Florida, and California as African-American Texans migrated.

Frederick Douglass once noted, ``A [person] who will not labor to gain his [or her] rights, is a [person] who would not, if he [or she] had them, prize and defend them.'' With this in mind, I want to remind Congress of the labor of individuals of African descent who have devoted their lives to securing a just and prosperous future for all Americans and the duty we have as citizens to make sure their blood, sweat, and tears are never forgotten and our rights are preserved. This legislation helps to further this sense of obligation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Through your support for this legislation, we are certain to sustain this great legacy of justice and equality upon which this great nation was founded.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 36) encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Civil Service, Census and Agency Organization of the Committee on Government Reform, introduced H. Con. Res. 36 on February 12, 2003. I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, issued a preliminary proclamation on September 22, 1862, granting freedom to slaves in territories that were in rebellion. The official Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. It was a straightforward document, much like the President himself, and was based on his right as the Commander in Chief during the Civil War.

Though the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in scope, acclaimed by some, and denounced and condemned by others, ultimately it was a landmark as expressed in the 13th amendment: ``Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.''

Historians report several revisions and compromises of the proclamation, but Lincoln's personal wish, as expressed in his letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, had always been that all men everywhere could be free.

Much has been accomplished in our Nation since 1863 by freed men and women and their descendents in every sphere of our national life; this, in spite of great adversity, but with utmost determination of spirit and soul. History has shown us that to surge to greatness, as a Nation or as an individual, humans must be free.

We must never forget our history, we must never forget the steadfastness of the President who was rightly called the Great Emancipator. We must never tolerate mental or physical slavery in our Nation or any nation.

Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 36 has been cosponsored by 115 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. I believe this bill, introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, to be representative of the conviction of this body and I, therefore, urge our colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 36. Again, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Illinois for his work on bringing this meaningful resolution to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, (Mr. LaHood), my distinguished colleague.

(Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would again like to thank my distinguished colleague, the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, for introducing this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 36, which encourages the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and commend President Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery in the United States.

140 years ago a bloody war still raged across our land, a war that cost the lives of more Americans than all other wars in our history combined. This summer will mark the turning point of that war as we celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Earlier, on September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln took the first step toward establishing as the object of the Civil War the total abolition of slavery. He and his political party, the Republican Party, had made as their first goal the restriction of the expansion of slavery. Now he would make the Nation's goal the abolition of slavery itself.

Boldly, Lincoln declared free all those persons held as slaves within the insurgent States as of January 1, 1863. This was a daring political move which was strongly opposed by the Democratic Party of that day. After the end of the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination in 1865, his fellow Republicans in Congress and in State legislatures got passed and ratified the 13th amendment to the Constitution, totally abolishing slavery in the United States.

Our Civil War was turned by President Abraham Lincoln, it was turned from just a civil war between States into a moral crusade against the abomination of human slavery. President Lincoln knew that all war brings suffering, and he knew that we had to make sure that the ends of any war must justify the suffering that war entails. As a Republican, I am proud to claim Lincoln's legacy for the Republican Party and the principles of liberty for all Americans, regardless of race and color.

Recently, I had the opportunity to appear in the Civil War movie ``Gods and Generals.'' I portrayed an officer in the Union Army staff of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and I was proud to wear that blue Union uniform that fought for the noble cause of ending slavery and freeing those held in human bondage.

Today our Nation stands on the brink of another war, a war that will also bring suffering, like all wars do, but will, like our Civil War, have noble ends. The liberation of people and destruction of evil are indeed noble ends.

In the movie ``Gods and Generals,'' Colonel Joshua Chamberlain understood that principle, and understood that these principles are worth fighting for and dying for. In one scene, he turns to his brother and observes: ``I will admit it, Tom, war is a scourge, but so is slavery. It is the systematic coercion of one group of men over another. It is as old as the Book of Genesis, and has existed in every corner of the globe, but that is no excuse for us to tolerate it here when we find it before our eyes and in our own country.''

The Civil War still has the power to stir modern-day controversy. Nevertheless, I hope that 140 years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation that all Americans will join us in celebrating President Lincoln's efforts to end slavery; and this legacy, this legacy should unite all Americans as we strive to make this a country, even though we still have faults, though we have many things to overcome, to try our best to correct those faults that we have; but we can be united to try to make this a country with liberty and justice for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time to me, and I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for this important concurrent resolution.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 36 offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the Civil War into a war of liberation, and changed American history forever.

140 years ago last month the United States took the first bold step towards a new birth of freedom. Abraham Lincoln was well aware of the epic importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Before signing it in his office in the White House on January 1, 1863, he looked at those around him and remarked: ``I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper.''

His hand was sore from greeting thousands of guests at the annual New Year's reception; and he took a moment to steady his hand, unwilling to have his signature appear wavering or hesitant. Finally, he signed the document with his full name, as he very rarely did.

Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation was a remarkable act of political courage. After the preliminary proclamation was released on September 22, 1862, reaction in the North was harshly critical. The Republican Party lost seats in the congressional elections that year, and New York City later erupted into riots, partly as a result of the outrage over the proclamation. The year after the proclamation was issued, President Lincoln wrote: ``I am naturally antislavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.''

It was this core principle, combined with enormous courage, that led the President to draft and sign the historic document we celebrate today. One of Lincoln's most distinguished biographers has called the proclamation the single most revolutionary document in our history after the Declaration of Independence.

Yet Lincoln clearly defined the Emancipation Proclamation as a war measure justified by military necessity. He knew that the permanent destruction of slavery would require more than a proclamation signed by the President. Therefore, he labored mightily to ensure the passage of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery forever. Lincoln had so identified himself with the cause of freedom by the end of the war that he signed the 13th amendment, though not constitutionally required to do so.

The legacy of Lincoln as the emancipator will be among the subjects addressed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, on which I am honored to serve as co-chair. Created by the Congress, comprised of scholars, collectors, political leaders, and jurists, the commission is charged with planning the annual celebration of Lincoln's 250th birthday.

Therefore, as a representative of the same district that sent Abraham Lincoln to Congress for one term, and as the co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important continuing resolution.

Again, I thank both the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for this important concurrent resolution brought to the House floor today.