Political Quotes

“Mr. President, 148 years ago today Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX, to take possession of the State and enforce the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation. It had been 2 months since General Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse and more than 2 years since President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but word of the proclamation's promise was only now reaching those held in bondage in Texas. With the reading of General Order No. 3 to the people of Galveston, the last remaining slaves in the United States were officially free. The date, June 19, 1865, has gone down in history as ``Juneteenth.'' It is a day to celebrate the end of legalized slavery in America and to rededicate ourselves to continuing the struggle for true equality. I can not think of a better day to welcome to the United States Capitol--at long last--a statue of Frederick Douglass. The statue of the great abolitionist leader was welcomed in a dedication ceremony earlier today. The statue now stands, appropriately, in Emancipation Hall, the great hall of the Capitol Visitors Center. The Frederick Douglass statue is only the fourth carved likeness of an African American to be displayed in the United States Capitol. It joins busts of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Douglass' fellow abolitionist leader, Sojourner Truth, and a statue of Rosa Parks, which was dedicated 2 months ago.…”