Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of H.R. 4539. The 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act was introduced earlier in the Senate by Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and I was proud to introduce the House version with the support of Representatives Rigell, Butterfield, Forbes, Beyer, Wittman, Lewis, and many others. I would like to thank Chairman Chaffetz, Ranking Member Cummings, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle) for their assistance in bringing the bill to the floor today. This bill would establish a commission to begin planning programs and activities across the Nation to recognize the many contributions of African Americans since the first arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619. African Americans have contributed greatly to our Nation, and their achievements deserve to be celebrated. The history of Virginia and our Nation cannot be fully understood without recognizing the role played by the slave trade. Slavery was an abhorrent institution; but for hundreds of years, it was the foundation of the colonial and early American agricultural system and was essential to its economic sustainability. The 20 Africans who arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia, in Hampton, Virginia, in 1619 were the first on record to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the English colonies.…”