16 June 2010, US Senate, Washington DC, USA
On a hot day in the summer of 1776, delegates from across the American colonies gathered in Philadelphia to cast off the yoke of tyranny and assert the fundamental right of self-government.
That moment, a republic was born, our founders ratified a document unique to human history which contained the landmark words, and i quote -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal." end of quote.
This simple creed became the justification of a great revolutionary war which gave rise to the thriving democracy we inhabit today. Mr. President, that's why we celebrate every Fourth of July as independence day, because of the principles laid out in that remarkable declaration.
But tragically, almost a century after that document was ratified, the equality of all men remain an unfulfilled promise. It began to seem that the declaration of independence defined our aspirations rather than our core beliefs. Slavery, brutal and unjust, remained legal throughout the majority of the 19th century and helped set the stage for the bloodiest war we have ever known.
As President Lincoln had dearly hoped, out of that terrible violence was born a new and more complete freedom, a freedom that wiped out the scourge of slavery once and for all and realized a promise our founding fathers documented for all Americans. Mr. President, that is why on Saturday, many in this country observe another independence day known as Juneteenth.
Slavery ended in the confederate states of America when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Many slaves did not learn of their freedom until much later. Finally, on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. They brought news that must have been almost unbelievable to all who heard it. The Civil War was over, they announced that all slaves were free.
From that day on, former slaves in the southwest celebrated June 19 as the anniversary for their emancipation. That is why i have introduced a Senate resolution observing the historical significance of this date, Juneteenth, independence day.
Over the past 145 years, Juneteenth celebrations have been held to honor African-American freedom, but this date has come to hold even greater significance. Throughout the world, Juneteenth celebrations lifted up the spirit of freedom and railed against the forces of oppression.
At long last, this day is beginning to be recognized as both a national event and a global celebration. Just as the Fourth of July marks the beginning of a journey that continues even today, we must not forget that the long march to freedom that started on june 19 is far from over.
Our country has made great strides in the century and a half since slavery was abolished, but deep wounds are slow to heal. We will never be able to rewrite this terrible history, but we can and we must, Mr. President, do everything we can to rise above it, to seek constructive solutions to the problems that time alone cannot wash away, problems that still affect the African-american communities on a daily basis, from discrimination to crime to health care disparities to unemployment and to substance abuse and so on.
So let us pay tribute to the suffering of our forefathers by seeking justice for our children. Let us remember our past by looking to our future and confronting these problems with bold new solutions. This is the day for all of us to stand together and lift up the liberties we hold so dear, a day to look forward, look ahead to tomorrow and continue to fight for freedom and equality.
So i ask my colleagues to stand with me. I ask them to support my resolution observing the historical significance of Juneteenth, independence day. I invite them to share in the joy of those who greeted union soldiers in Galveston more than 140 years ago. Mr. President, very briefly, on another subject, in terms of President Obama's speech last night on the crisis in the Gulf, i just want to let it be known for the record that i support our president in that speech and every effort that he has made in trying to give direction and a solution to the problems that we're experiencing down on our Gulf coast, and i find it disheartening and disappointing that all of these commentators who want to attack our President, want him to be angry, want him to act -- i have no idea what they want this man to do, but i know that this man is doing all he can for the people of America, and i ask those commentators to get off of his back.
Stop attacking the President who had nothing to do with that problem and is putting everything he has, the resources that America has to solve this problem. This has never happened before in our history. It's a problem beyond comprehension. Yet still these Monday morning quarterbacks set back and criticize and bring out their undocumented types of statements about our President. I just feel emotionally disturbed by what is happening.
So i say to all Americans this President is doing all he can to support this issue that we are facing. And you have got to deal with BP. , you have got to deal with Transocean and you have to deal with Haliburtan. Those are the ones that are responsible for this problem. Let's go after them, make them pay, make them deal -- get the solution, and therefore Americans can move forward.
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.