A resolution memorializing the discovery of the Clotilda.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 315 Memorializing the discovery of the Clotilda. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 Mr. JONES (for himself and Mr. SHELBY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources FEBRUARY 27, 2020 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Memorializing the discovery of the Clotilda. Whereas, from 1525 to 1866, the transatlantic slave trade re- sulted in more than 12,000,000 individuals being taken from their homes in Africa and made to endure the hor- rors of the Middle Passage to the Americas, where those individuals were forced into enslavement; Whereas, on March 2, 1807, Congress enacted legislation banning the importation of enslaved people, which went into effect on January 1, 1808; Whereas, in contravention of that ban, the last enslaved Afri- cans forced to endure the voyage to the United States came aboard the Clotilda, which— VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR315.ATS SR315 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 315 ATS (1) left from Whydah, modern-day Benin, in May of 1860; (2) arrived in Port of Pines in Grand Bay, Mis- sissippi, on July 9, 1860; and (3) was ultimately brought to Mobile Bay, Alabama, on July 14, 1860, carrying 110 individuals, including men, women, and children; Whereas, shortly after arrival in Mobile Bay, Alabama, the Captain of the Clotilda scuttled and burned the ship to the waterline in order to conceal the evidence of his crime; Whereas, following the end of the Civil War and the emanci- pation of enslaved Africans, some of the captives brought to the United States aboard the Clotilda settled in the area now known as Africatown, Alabama; Whereas, on May 22, 2019, the Alabama Historical Commis- sion and a team of scientists confirmed that a wreckage found in the Twelve Mile Island section of the Mobile River was the Clotilda; Whereas, in the 160 years since the Clotilda was brought to Mobile Bay, the residents of Africatown, Alabama, have played a critical role in preserving the unique and impor- tant heritage and traditions of their community; Whereas the Africatown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 2012, and is home to a number of important historic sites, including— (1) the Mobile County Training School; (2) the Old Landmark Baptist Church, now known as the Union Baptist Church; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR315.ATS SR315 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 315 ATS (3) the Africatown Cemetery, where many of the in- dividuals who survived the forced migration to the United States in 1860 are buried: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 1 (1) the recent confirmation of the wreckage of 2 the Clotilda, the last slave ship to arrive in the 3 United States, constitutes a monumental discovery 4 of local, national, and international importance and 5 educational value; 6 (2) discovery of the Clotilda may serve as an in- 7 flection point for meaningful conversation about 8 both past and present injustices; 9 (3) the residents of Africatown, Alabama, em- 10 body a spirit of resilience and a determination to 11 build a better community for their descendants; and 12 (4) all efforts should be made— 13 (A) to preserve and protect the Clotilda 14 and associated historic sites in Africatown, Ala- 15 bama; and 16 (B) to use the discovery of the Clotilda to 17 provide education to local, national, and inter- 18 national audiences about— 19 (i) the violent history of the trans- 20 atlantic slave trade; 21 (ii) the stories of the last enslaved Af- 22 ricans to arrive in the United States; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR315.ATS SR315 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 315 ATS (iii) the rich and unique history of the 1 community built by the descendants of 2 those individuals. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR315.ATS SR315 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS