Senate Apologizes For Slavery, Disclaimer Included
 Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009  by Connie T.

Last year the House of Representatives issued an official apology for slavery in America's history, and now the Senate has unanimously passed a similar resolution sponsored by Senator Bill Harkin (D - Iowa)...except that this resolution addresses the topic of reparations, by advising none can be sought.

"Nothing in this resolution A) authorizes or supports any claim against the United States, or B) serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States."

Reparations (specifically, monetary) were broached at the presidential debates in this last election, and the candidates responses were varied, as is the American public's, as far as Gallup polls have indicated.

The Resolution from the Senate reads as follows:

Concurrent Resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans. Whereas, during the history of the Nation, the United States has grown into a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world; whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with the very fabric of the democracy and freedom of the United States...Whereas it is important for the people of the United States, who legally recognized slavery through the Constitution and the laws of the United States, to make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so they can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all people of the United States:

Now, therefore, be it.

The full text of the statement is here (in .PDF format).

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