Post by bot on Dec 12, 2015 16:28:03 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on the 150th Anniversary of the Ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which occurred December 6, 1865:
“This Sunday, our nation marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which forever removed the scourge of slavery in America. For more than two centuries, African Americans endured the unthinkable horrors of slavery in a land that was supposed to be a refuge of freedom for all. Even after our Founders declared that ‘all men are created equal,’ and sought to ‘secure the blessings of liberty’ through our Constitution, slavery continued to cast a pall upon our country and deny the basic humanity of millions of our people. With the abolition of slavery in 1865, our nation finally began in earnest the work of fulfilling these founding principles and making America a beacon of liberty throughout the world.
“As the great Marylander Frederick Douglass once said: ‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’ On this anniversary, we recall with awe the courage and sacrifice of the many who struggled, wrote, spoke out, and risked their lives to achieve abolition and secure the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Today, the fight for freedom continues as long as the effort to achieve full equality for all remains unfinished. It is up to us to carry forward efforts to secure equal justice and to ensure that the bitter legacies of slavery – and its second act, segregation – do not place barriers before the descendants of slaves from equally accessing the opportunities our nation promises to its citizens. We can and must do much more to make certain that all of our people can enjoy the equal rights and dignity that is every American’s birthright.”