Full Text of HR1223 95th General Assembly
HR1223 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to acknowledge the celebration of | 4 |
| Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia; and
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| WHEREAS, The municipality of Washington D.C. celebrates | 6 |
| April 16 of every year as Emancipation Day; on April 16, 1862, | 7 |
| President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation | 8 |
| Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor | 9 |
| in the District of Columbia; the Act, along with the | 10 |
| Supplemental Compensated Emancipation Act, freed approximately | 11 |
| 3,100 enslaved persons in the District of Columbia nine months | 12 |
| before President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation | 13 |
| Proclamation, which presaged the eventual end of slavery to the | 14 |
| rest of the nation; the District of Columbia Compensated | 15 |
| Emancipation Act represents the only example of compensation by | 16 |
| the federal government to former owners of emancipated slaves; | 17 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, On January 4, 2005, Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony | 19 |
| Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an | 20 |
| official public holiday in the District of Columbia; each year, | 21 |
| a series of activities is held during the public holiday, | 22 |
| including the traditional Emancipation Day parade celebrating | 23 |
| the freedom of enslaved persons in the District of Columbia; |
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HR1223 |
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| the Emancipation Day celebration was held yearly from 1866 to | 2 |
| 1901, then experienced a hiatus until 1991, when the | 3 |
| celebration was revived by DC Reading is Fundamental; the | 4 |
| Emancipation Day celebration was formally resumed as a | 5 |
| tradition and historic celebration in 2002 as a direct result | 6 |
| of years of research, lobbying, and leadership by Ms. Loretta | 7 |
| Carter-Hanes; and
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| WHEREAS, The celebration of Emancipation Day is a wonderful | 9 |
| display of the value of human freedom and equality for this | 10 |
| State, the nation, and the world at large; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 |
| acknowledge the celebration of Emancipation Day in the District | 14 |
| of Columbia and wish the residents of Washington D.C. a happy | 15 |
| and safe celebration of this holiday; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 |
| presented to Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty as a symbol of | 18 |
| our esteem and respect.
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