| 1 | 1 | | IV |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. RES. 336 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Recognizing the historic abolitionist events surrounding the Pearl, and |
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| 6 | 6 | | honoring its legacy in American history. |
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| 7 | 7 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 8 | 8 | | APRIL17, 2025 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Ms. N |
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| 10 | 10 | | ORTONsubmitted the following resolution; which was referred to the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Committee on Oversight and Government Reform |
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| 12 | 12 | | RESOLUTION |
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| 13 | 13 | | Recognizing the historic abolitionist events surrounding the |
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| 14 | 14 | | Pearl, and honoring its legacy in American history. |
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| 15 | 15 | | Whereas, on April 16, 1848, 77 enslaved people attempted to |
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| 16 | 16 | | flee slavery in the District of Columbia and Alexandria, |
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| 17 | 17 | | Virginia, on the Pearl, a schooner waiting for them in the |
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| 18 | 18 | | Potomac River; |
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| 19 | 19 | | Whereas, on April 14, 1848, three White men brought the |
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| 20 | 20 | | ship to the District of Columbia, and Daniel Drayton, the |
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| 21 | 21 | | captain and owner of the Pearl, chartered the schooner |
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| 22 | 22 | | for $100 and arranged for the enslaved peoples’ travel; |
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| 23 | 23 | | Whereas the escape was initiated by free Blacks Paul Jen- |
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| 24 | 24 | | nings, who had been enslaved by President James Madi- |
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| 25 | 25 | | son, and Paul Edmonson; |
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| 26 | 26 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR336.IH HR336 |
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| 27 | 27 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 |
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| 28 | 28 | | •HRES 336 IH |
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| 29 | 29 | | Whereas William Chaplin, a White abolitionist, assisted in |
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| 30 | 30 | | connecting the enslaved people with Drayton; |
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| 31 | 31 | | Whereas abolitionist Gerrit Smith of New York financed the |
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| 32 | 32 | | escape; |
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| 33 | 33 | | Whereas 77 enslaved people, including men, women, and chil- |
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| 34 | 34 | | dren, sailed on the Pearl down the Potomac River and |
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| 35 | 35 | | then into the Chesapeake Bay in pursuit of freedom; |
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| 36 | 36 | | Whereas, on April 17, 1848, numerous enslavers in the Dis- |
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| 37 | 37 | | trict of Columbia, realizing the people they enslaved had |
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| 38 | 38 | | fled, sent a posse of 35 men to seek the Pearl; |
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| 39 | 39 | | Whereas the posse met the Pearl near Point Lookout, Mary- |
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| 40 | 40 | | land, and took the enslaved people and the ship back to |
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| 41 | 41 | | the District of Columbia; |
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| 42 | 42 | | Whereas slavery supporters formed a mob and lashed out at |
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| 43 | 43 | | both the White abolitionists involved in the escape as well |
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| 44 | 44 | | as free Blacks in the District of Columbia in the Wash- |
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| 45 | 45 | | ington Riot of 1848; |
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| 46 | 46 | | Whereas the enslavers sold the enslaved people who had es- |
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| 47 | 47 | | caped to traders who took them to New Orleans, Lou- |
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| 48 | 48 | | isiana; |
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| 49 | 49 | | Whereas two of the enslaved people who had escaped were |
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| 50 | 50 | | purchased and freed in an effort led by Henry Ward |
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| 51 | 51 | | Beecher’s Plymouth Congregational Church of Brooklyn, |
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| 52 | 52 | | New York; |
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| 53 | 53 | | Whereas Drayton and two of the other ship workers were ar- |
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| 54 | 54 | | rested for helping in the escape and were represented in |
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| 55 | 55 | | court by Congressman Horace Mann; |
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| 56 | 56 | | Whereas two of the men, including Drayton, after serving |
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| 57 | 57 | | four years in prison, were released after being granted a |
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| 59 | 59 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 |
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| 60 | 60 | | •HRES 336 IH |
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| 61 | 61 | | pardon from President Millard Fillmore, based on a rec- |
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| 62 | 62 | | ommendation from Senator Charles Sumner; and |
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| 63 | 63 | | Whereas the escape is said to be the single largest known es- |
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| 64 | 64 | | cape by enslaved persons in American history and to have |
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| 65 | 65 | | inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe in her writing the novel |
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| 66 | 66 | | ‘‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’’: Now, therefore, be it |
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| 67 | 67 | | Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 1 |
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| 68 | 68 | | the legacy of all those who furthered freedom from slavery 2 |
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| 69 | 69 | | and all of those who were involved in the historic aboli-3 |
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| 70 | 70 | | tionist events surrounding the Pearl, and recognizes their 4 |
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| 71 | 71 | | importance to the history of the District of Columbia and 5 |
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| 72 | 72 | | to American history itself. 6 |
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| 73 | 73 | | Æ |
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| 75 | 75 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS |
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