Donald M. Payne: “Madam Speaker, let me thank the gentlelady from California once again. As she said, we hope that the history will be…”

“Madam Speaker, let me thank the gentlelady from California once again. As she said, we hope that the history will be integrated into our textbooks. In New Jersey, I am proud to say, William Payne, assemblyman, passed Amistad legislation that will integrate the history of African Americans in the history of New Jersey. Our current Member of Congress, Albio Sires, was the Speaker of the Assembly when that great legislation was brought through with his assistance. When we read about Patrick Henry, who said, ``Give me liberty or give me death,'' or Nathan Hale, who said ``I regret that I only have one life to give for my country,'' we will read about Crispus Attucks, the first person killed in the Revolutionary War on March 3, 1770. We will read about Peter Salem and Salem Poor at the Battle of Bunker Hill, that fired the shot. They said, ``Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.'' They killed Major Pitcairn, who led the Boston Massacre. When we hear about the Civil War, 50 percent of the Navy were African Americans, once Frederick Douglass convinced President Lincoln to allow them. In the Spanish-American War, as I conclude, we hear about the Rough Riders of Teddy Roosevelt, but it was the Buffalo Soldiers at the Battle of San Juan Hill that saved the Rough Riders of Teddy Roosevelt from annihilation, which has been kept from our history.”