PRINTER'S NO. 415
No. 86 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY CLYMER, CREIGHTON, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, D. EVANS,
EVERETT, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, MANN,
MANTZ, RAMALEY, SONNEY, WALKO, STERN, SCAVELLO, VEREB,
WOJNAROSKI, TRUE, ARGALL, BAKER, BARRAR, BASTIAN,
BENNINGHOFF, BLACKWELL, BROOKS, COHEN, COX, CUTLER,
DENLINGER, DiGIROLAMO, ELLIS, J. EVANS, FLECK, FREEMAN,
GERGELY, GIBBONS, GODSHALL, GRELL, HARPER, HELM, HERSHEY,
HESS, HICKERNELL, JOSEPHS, KAUFFMAN, M. KELLER, KIRKLAND,
KORTZ, MANDERINO, MARSHALL, McILHATTAN, MELIO, MENSCH,
METCALFE, MYERS, MILLARD, MILNE, MOUL, MOYER, MURT, MUSTIO,
NAILOR, NICKOL, OLIVER, O'NEILL, PARKER, PETRI, PICKETT,
PYLE, QUIGLEY, QUINN, RAPP, REICHLEY, ROCK, ROHRER,
SAMUELSON, SCHRODER, R. STEVENSON, STURLA, SURRA, VULAKOVICH,
WANSACZ, WATSON AND WILLIAMS, FEBRUARY 13, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
FEBRUARY 13, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolishment of the
2 British Empire's slave trade on February 22, 1807.
3 WHEREAS, William Wilberforce, born August 24, 1759, was a
4 British politician, philanthropist, abolitionist and leader of a
5 parliamentary campaign against the slave trade in the British
6 Empire; and
7 WHEREAS, On May 12, 1789, after months of planning,
8 Wilberforce made his first speech on the subject of abolition in
9 the House of Commons of the Parliament; and
10 WHEREAS, In this speech Wilberforce reasoned that the slave
11 trade was morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice;
1 and
2 WHEREAS, In April 1791 Wilberforce introduced the first bill
3 in Parliament to abolish the slave trade, which bill was soundly
4 defeated; and
5 WHEREAS, Wilberforce continued to plead for a legislative
6 solution to end the slave trade in the British Empire; and
7 WHEREAS, On February 22, 1807, the House of Commons voted to
8 terminate the slave trade, thereby fulfilling the goal of
9 Wilberforce's campaign; therefore be it
10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the
11 200th anniversary of the abolishment of the British Empire's
12 slave trade on February 22, 1807.
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