In General Assembly January Session, A.D. 2020

2020 -- S 2897
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LC005422
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING "JUNETEENTH NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY" ON JUNE 19, 2020
Introduced By: Senators Metts, Quezada, Ruggerio, Goodwin, and Sheehan
Date Introduced: June 18, 2020
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration
1 WHEREAS, First observed one hundred and fifty-four years ago, Juneteenth National
2 Freedom Day is the oldest and only African-American holiday observance in the United States;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Also known as Emancipation Day, Emancipation Celebration, Freedom
5 Day, Jun-Jun, and Juneteenth, Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates the strong
6 survival instinct of African-Americans who were first brought to this country stacked in the
7 bottom of slave ships in a month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean known as the Middle
8 Passage; and
9 WHEREAS, Approximately eleven and one-half million African-Americans survived the
10 voyage to the New World, with the number that died likely greater, and those who did survive
11 were subjected to whipping, castration, branding, and rape, and were forced to submit to slavery
12 for more than two hundred years after their arrival in the United States; and
13 WHEREAS, Events in the history of the United States that led to the Civil War of 1861
14 centered around sectional differences between the North and South that were based on the
15 economic and social divergence caused by the existence of slavery; and
16 WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1861,
17 and as President, Lincoln believed and stated that the paramount object of the Civil War was to
18 save the Union rather than to save or destroy slavery; and
19 WHEREAS, But Lincoln also stated his belief that all men everywhere should be free,
20 thus adding to the growing anticipation of slaves that their ultimate liberation was at hand; and
1 WHEREAS, In 1862, the first clear sign that the end of slavery was imminent came when
2 laws abolishing slavery in the territories of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico
3 were passed; and
4 WHEREAS, In September of that same year, President Lincoln warned the eleven
5 rebellious Confederate States that if they did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, he
6 would declare their slaves forever free via the celebrated Emancipated Proclamation; and
7 WHEREAS, Enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, however, only occurred in
8 Confederate States once they were under Union Army control and Congress subsequently passed
9 the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on January 31, 1865, abolishing slavery
10 throughout the United States and its territories; and
11 WHEREAS, News of this action reached the states at different times, and it was not until
12 June 19th of 1865, that the message of freedom reached the slaves in Texas, Oklahoma,
13 Louisiana, Arkansas, and California; and
14 WHEREAS, Spontaneous celebrations erupted throughout the country when African-
15 Americans learned of their freedom; and
16 WHEREAS, Juneteenth National Freedom Day celebrates the abolishment of slavery
17 with excitement and great joy and is a reminder to all Americans of the status and importance that
18 Americans of African descent hold as American citizens; now, therefore be it
19 RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
20 hereby urges the citizens of the State of Rhode Island to recognize the historical significance of
21 Juneteenth Independence Day and to observe Juneteenth National Freedom Day on June 19th; and
22 be it further
23 RESOLVED, That this Senate supports the annual celebration of Juneteenth National
24 Freedom Day in order to provide an opportunity for the people of the state to learn more about
25 our country’s past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped our nation; and be it
26 further
27 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
28 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Rhode Island.
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LC005422
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In General Assembly January Session, A.D. 2020

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In General Assembly January Session, A.D. 2020

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2020 -- S 2897

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

RECOGNIZING "JUNETEENTH NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY" ON JUNE 19, 2020

Introduced By: Senators Metts, Quezada, Ruggerio, Goodwin, and Sheehan

Date Introduced: June 18, 2020

Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

4 WHEREAS, Also known as Emancipation Day, Emancipation Celebration, Freedom

9 WHEREAS, Approximately eleven and one-half million African-Americans survived the

15 economic and social divergence caused by the existence of slavery; and

18 save the Union rather than to save or destroy slavery; and

3 were passed; and

7 WHEREAS, Enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, however, only occurred in

10 throughout the United States and its territories; and

13 Louisiana, Arkansas, and California; and

14 WHEREAS, Spontaneous celebrations erupted throughout the country when African-

15 Americans learned of their freedom; and

16 WHEREAS, Juneteenth National Freedom Day celebrates the abolishment of slavery

18 Americans of African descent hold as American citizens; now, therefore be it

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