Steve Cohen actually said...

"The enslavement of people of African-American descent in America was started before we were a country, in 1619, and it has gone on through the end of the Civil War."

"It was using Black people for the political power of southerners who wanted to have that power mostly to keep slavery legal."

"H.R. 40 would create a commission to study the history of slavery in America, the role of the Federal and State governments in supporting slavery and racial discrimination."

"Our colleague, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who is a member of the subcommittee, is the current lead sponsor of this legislation."