Slavery Remembrance Day
Floor Speech
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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, the great Maya Angelou summarized the very essence of my being when she proclaimed `` . . . the gifts my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of the slave.'' I am proud to say tonight that I am a descendent of enslaved people.
I also want to acknowledge tonight a couple of righteous allies of enslaved people. Mr. Steny Hoyer, the majority leader of the House. Mr. Hoyer and I worked closely to bring the Slavery Remembrance Day resolution to the floor. I am very proud of what he has done to help us. I consider him a righteous ally of enslaved people.
President Joe Biden: President Biden issued a press statement that I will be eternally grateful for as it relates to enslaved people. In fact, I would like to read from the statement that the President actually issued. Of course, it is the President's statement, Joe Biden, marking Slavery Remembrance Day. He issued this on August 20, 2022.
It reads:
More than 400 years ago, 20 enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the shores of what would become the United States. Millions more were stolen and sold in the centuries that followed, part of a system of slavery that is America's original sin.
Great Nation's don't hide from their history. They acknowledge their past, both the triumphs and the tragedies. Today is a day--
He is talking about August 20.
Today is a day to reflect on the terrible toll of slavery, and our Nation's profound ability to heal and emerge stronger.
He goes on to say:
Despite the horrors they faced, these men and women and their descendants have made countless contributions to the building of this Nation and the continuous effort to realize the American ideal. I was honored last year to declare Juneteenth a national holiday, another moment to reflect and rededicate ourselves to becoming a more perfect union. And it is why my administration will continue the hard, ongoing work to bring true equity and racial justice to our country.
I am grateful for the efforts of Congress--in particular, Representative Al Green and Senator Elizabeth Warren--to recognize the significance of this day.
Madam Speaker, I mention the President because this day was many years in the making, many years. In fact, it was on August 20 of 1619 that the White Lion, a slave ship, a ship with enslaved human beings on it, docked at Point Comfort, near what we now call Norfolk, Virginia, and it had these 20 human beings on it from Africa. They were traded for materials and goods and left there.
This was a seminal moment in our history, August 20, 1619, some 246 years, 108 days ago. From August 20, 1619, to January 31, 1865, when the 13th Amendment was ratified, we considered these the years and days that this country had lawful slavery.
It is interesting to note that over this entire period of time, there were persons who were very helpful to those who were enslaved. I shall talk about them later on in this half hour.
The value of that 246 years of labor, unpaid labor, unpaid slave labor, has been estimated to be such as $14.2 trillion. That is in 2009 dollars. So it is important for us to realize that these persons who were enslaved over these 246 years, 108 days, these persons gave America a foundation, an economic foundation that has persisted to this day--246 years, 108 days of free labor, some $14.2 trillion.
In fact, these persons are the greatest contributors to the American economy, the greatest contributors ever to the American economy, because of 246 years, 108 days of free labor.
Here are some of the well-known landmarks and buildings built by enslaved human beings. I will talk about them. This is according to an article styled ``15 American landmarks that were built by slaves,'' published in the publication known as the Business Insider and by James Pasley. Let me now start.
The first is the White House. According to the White House Historical Association, enslaved human beings were likely involved in all aspects of the construction, including the carpentry, masonry, cording, rafting, plastering, glazing, and painting.
The task force reported this. Slaves appeared to have shouldered alone all the grueling work of sawing logs and stones.
The White House: Constructed by slaves.
The U.S. Capitol Building: Enslaved human beings quarried the stone used for the floors, walls, and columns of the Capitol. They shaped that stone. They laid the brick foundations of the buildings.
Enslaved human beings, in large part, also completed the carpentry as they framed the roof and installed its shingles and its coverings. Enslaved human beings were responsible for more skilled labor like plastering and painting.
The White House and the Capitol.
The Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol: If you have been to Washington, D.C., you have seen the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol. An enslaved human being created the Statue of Freedom.
This is remarkable and almost painful to say, knowing that a person who was enslaved created the Statue of Freedom that is atop the Capitol. It was done so because Philip Reid was the only person available with the skill to make a bronze statue out of the plaster cast.
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.: Although enslaved individuals did not work on the actual building, they were the ones who quarried the iconic red sandstone that still adorns the building to this day.
Wall Street in New York: Enslaved human beings built the titular wall for which the street is named. In addition, Wall Street was the location of one of the largest slave markets in the country in the 1700s.
Trinity Church in New York: Enslaved human beings helped to build the original Trinity Church on Wall Street, which stood from 1698 until 1776.
Fraunces Tavern in New York: Although few specific details still exist on the process, enslaved human beings built one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan.
Faneuil Hall in Boston: Enslaved human beings helped build the cradle of liberty indirectly by working for Peter Faneuil, who helped fund the building with funds made from slavery.
Fort Sumter in South Carolina: Enslaved human beings helped build the fort where the Civil War began. They were forced to help create the bricks that made up the structure, as well as forced to repair the fort while it was under attack. As many as 20 slaves died during the attack on the fort.
Harvard Law School in Massachusetts: Enslaved human beings helped build the Harvard Law School through the wealth of the slave owner Isaac Royall, Jr., whose wealth came from his sugar plantations and farms.
Castillo de San Marcos fort in Florida: The oldest missionary fort in the United States was built by enslaved human beings who toiled for around 25 years under the Spanish to build the fort.
Georgetown University: Enslaved human beings were sold in order to raise $3.3 million in funds, in today's money, to finance the construction of the Georgetown campus.
The University of North Carolina: Enslaved human beings helped build the oldest public university in the country. Many of the University of North Carolina structures were built and maintained by slaves.
Monticello in Virginia: Thomas Jefferson's home had its bricks and limestone quarried, built, and placed by enslaved human beings.
Montpelier in Virginia: President James Madison's family had their homes cleared, created, and constructed by enslaved human beings.
Mount Vernon in Virginia: President George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, was built by enslaved human beings who were forced to quarry the materials, as well as build and maintain the home.
In summary, enslaved human beings built some of the most well-known structures in our country. To recap, they built the White House in Washington, D.C., or helped to--there were others involved--the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Wall Street in New York, Trinity Church in New York, Fraunces Tavern in New York, Faneuil Hall in Boston, Fort Sumter in South Carolina, Harvard Law School in Massachusetts, Castillo de San Marcos fort in Florida, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the University of North Carolina, Monticello in Virginia, and Montpelier in Virginia.
It should be noted also that these structures are among those that are known to us. The list does not include the untold number of roads, bridges, and water wells, as well as houses and more, that were constructed by enslaved human beings. It also does not include the many crops planted and harvested in the agrarian economy built on the backs of enslaved human beings.
All told, the total value of labor of every hour toiled under the whip of slavers in this country has been estimated to be between $5.9 and $14.2 trillion, 2009 dollars. This is why I say that the enslaved human beings are the greatest contributors to the American economy.
As a group, as a lot, as a people, the enslaved human beings contributed upward of around $14.2 trillion of free labor to this country. They were the foundational mothers and fathers of this country.
This is a widely cited number, and it was calculated by the University of Connecticut researcher Thomas Craemer using the number of unremunerated work hours multiplied with historical free market labor wages. This is wealth that was stolen from human beings who have seen little to none of it repaid.
The American economy had hundreds of years of free labor that gave it a start, that allowed it to compete and, in a sense, to have a competitive edge that many other countries did not have simply because of enslaved human beings.
I am honored to say that I am proud to be a descendant of enslaved human beings, the persons who built this country, the foundation of it, who gave it its start, its place in the economic order as a world power--enslaved human beings.
So, now, let's look at some of the people who were the enslavers.
John L. Manning owned at least two plantations holding 670 human beings against their will, one in South Carolina and another in Louisiana--a slave owner.
Meredith Calhoun held more than 700 enslaved people and produced cotton, more cotton than any other property in Louisiana.
William Aiken was one of the State's wealthiest citizens, the owner of the largest rice plantation in the State, with over 700 enslaved on 1,500 acres under cultivation, almost twice the acreage of the next largest plantation.
This is, for many of the persons who have inherited wealth, how that wealth was initially brought into being. Enslaved human beings gave them their start with free labor--John Manning, Meredith Calhoun, William Aiken.
Another, John Burnside, was the largest sugar producer in the country during his time. Before he died, he owned 10 different plantations and enslaved 753 people at his peak.
Joshua Ward, also known as the king of the rice planters, had 1,130 enslaved people.
Stephen Duncan was a businessman who collectively enslaved more than 2,000 human beings. He was one of the largest cotton producers, not in this country but in the world.
The most that he enslaved that one time was 858.
These were the people who had the opportunity to acquire great wealth at the expense of the lives of other people, many of whom lived their entire lives in bondage and died as enslaved human beings.
And what is unfortunate about all of this is we in this country have come to glorify those who were the enslavers. We glorify the Confederate military. We glorify, and to a certain extent, we deify many of the Confederate generals. These were the people that were fighting to maintain slavery. They get all of the honors, until as of late when we started to change that. But they have been given the honors.
The persons who were the liberators were demeaned and portrayed as insane, portrayed as murderers. But these were the people who were the liberators. We have vilified the liberators and have glorified the enslavers.
It is with great difficulty that we try to change this, but the difficulty is such that people don't really want to hear about the slaves. They have been so indoctrinated with the glory of the enslavers that they can't accept--many people--the fact that the slaves are the persons who were the foundational mothers and fathers of this country.
The slaves should be honored and they should be memorialized. They should be placed in the same position, not for having done the same thing that persons have done on Memorial Day, those that we memorialize in the wars, but they should be given the same dignity and respect because they died for this country. They died in bondage for this country. They were born into slavery. They lived as slaves, and they died as slaves. They ought to be honored and memorialized to the same extent as we honor and memorialize those who died in the wars. That is hard for some people to accept.
Many don't want to hear that said. But they should be given the honor that they deserve for living and dying for this country, because they did. But not only did they live and die for this country, their children lived and died for this country. Their children were taken away from them, sold at the auction block. Their children and grandchildren lived and died as well.
Why wouldn't we honor the people who lived and died in bondage and gave this country its economic foundation to the same extent that we honor the people who died in the wars? We should. They made America great. They deserve the honor and dignity, the same honor and dignity that those who died in wars have been given.
So let's talk for a minute about the liberators.
John Brown. I remember when I was in high school--or I don't know if it was high school, maybe it was junior high. We studied our history. And I remember the indication to us was that John Brown was a crazy man, just out to murder people senselessly.
John Brown was a liberator. He was fighting to liberate the people who were enslaved. He has never been given the honor that he deserves. John Brown ought to be honored to the same extent that we honor other persons who were liberators in wars. He was a liberator in this country.
The difficulty associated with honoring John Brown is this: When we honor others who liberated people from injustice, we are looking through a window into the world of other people. But if we honor John Brown, we have to look into the mirror and we see ourselves and our transgressions.
We have a lot that we have to do to atone for slavery: for taking people, selling their children, raping their women. We have a lot to atone for. And it is difficult for us to accept the fact that atonement is still something that we have not achieved.
Madam Speaker, I appreciate this President because he has acknowledged our history. This President, in my opinion, will be among the pantheon of the greatest Presidents this country has had because he has fought injustice that others wouldn't speak of.
He put a Black woman on the Supreme Court. Others could have done it; they didn't. President Biden did it.
He acknowledged Slavery Remembrance Day. Others could have; they didn't. President Biden did.
He will be seen by those in the distant future as one of the greatest Presidents this country has had, especially as it relates to addressing injustices.
Sojourner Truth, abolitionist. She became the first Black woman to win a case against a White man in this country. It is amazing how people like Sojourner Truth are now starting to be recognized, but for years, have been denied their rightful place in history as persons who fought for the liberation of Black people.
Nat Turner, a preacher. A preacher who rebelled. He led a 4-day rebellion of enslaved people to free Black people. This was in 1841. When I studied this in high school or junior high--I am not sure which--Nat Turner was portrayed as a traitor, as someone who attacked this country.
Nat Turner was a liberator. Nat Turner was trying to free people who were in bondage.
Robert E. Lee, on the other hand, was trying to maintain slavery. Yet, we have had Lee high schools across this country. I know of no Nat Turner high school in this country. There may be one, but I know of no Nat Turner high school.
There ought to be Nat Turner high schools across the country to the same extent that we have had Lee high schools because Nat Turner was the liberator. Lee was the enslaver. He was the person who would maintain slavery. Why would we honor Lee to the exclusion of Nat Turner, who was a liberator?
I know this is difficult for some people to manage because we have always been told that the liberators were people who were working against our country. They were working to free people. The Confederate soldiers were working and killing to maintain people in bondage.
Madam Speaker, I speak the truth. No one can deny the truth of what I say. You can deny wanting to see and hear that truth, but it is the truth.
Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, who sought to free slaves as well. She made 13 missions and rescued some 70 enslaved people.
Madam Speaker, there are many more. I know that my time is nearing its end, but there are many more.
Madam Speaker, I will just say this about Harriet Tubman. It has been said that she said she could have freed many more ``if they had known they were slaves.''
William Still, Elijah Anderson, Frederick Douglass, and, of course, the great Abraham Lincoln: All persons who worked as liberators.
I will be saying more about this. If you missed out on some portion of it tonight, I will present it in a similar fashion at a later time.
Madam Speaker, I thank the majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, for being a righteous ally of enslaved people. I will be eternally grateful to the President for being a righteous ally and a person who issued the statement recognizing Slavery Remembrance Day on August 23 of each year.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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