Posted on 04/24/2007 8:54:47 PM PDT by Triggerhippie
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The state House and Senate approved separate resolutions apologizing for slavery Tuesday — one day after Confederate Memorial Day, an official state holiday.
"An apology goes a long way," said Sen. Hank Sanders, a Democrat from Selma who sponsored his chamber's resolution. "Some of us can't begin to heal until we have an apology. Some of us can't move into reconciliation until we have an apology."
Neither resolution will become official unless approved by the other chamber and signed by the governor. The House passed its resolution with an unrecorded voice vote; the Senate's vote was 22-7.
Sponsors were optimistic that at least one of their resolutions would make it to the governor's desk. Republican Bob Riley was expected to sign it.
Legislatures in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina have approved similar slavery apologies this year.
"It's been a long time coming," said Rep. Mary Moore, the House sponsor, a Democrat from Birmingham.
The Legislature resumed work Tuesday after state offices were closed the day before for Confederate Memorial Day, which commemorates secessionist soldiers in the Civil War. The vote occurred across the street from the former capitol of the Confederate States of America.
Moore's resolution expresses state government's "deepest sympathies and solemn regrets to those who were enslaved and the descendants of slaves, who were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all citizens of the United States."
Not all legislators agreed with the apologies. Some Republicans feared the resolutions would be used to seek reparations, and the sponsors added language that they were not intended to be used as a basis for lawsuits.
"What I have a problem with is apologizing for something I didn't do," said Rep. Jay Love, a Montgomery Republican.
Apologies will do no good; You can't fix stupid...
Has anyone ever stopped to realize than every man, woman and child on this planet is decended from slaves? GET OVER IT.
the mass of the universe is to size what this resolution is to stupid.
Nicely put.
As a married black woman I see no need for the apology, since no former slaves are living. I could give a little consideration for something like Jim Crow, since you have blacks living who went through Jim Crow era and are old enough to remember it. But even in the case of an apology for Jim Crow it shouldn’t apply to all blacks.
If the state wants to apologize for slavery that is their decision. But I don’t think it should be used as a tool to further any political agendas. Some liberals may try to use this to further their own agendas.
Man Up, Hank. No one likes a pu$$y.
Is the chant/mantra/anthem of the Wussies of history.
Take charge and move on tard or be plowed under with the rest of the weaklings of history.
I would support the Jim Crow apologies for the exact reason you stated: no former slaves are alive to apologize to.
I would think that the apologies for Jim Crow would be more pressing as those citizens were disenfranchised contrary to the laws of the land at the time. Slavery, while wrong, was legal at the time.
Notice, if you will, the deafening silence that the press gives to the “news” that the Democratic Party supported both slavery and Jim Crow. George Orwell would be proud...
When the Republicans were trying to end slavery, the Democrats were fighting them tooth and nail to keep it in place. When is the Democratic Party going to apologize for its critical role in maintaining slavery and forcing a horrific war to end it? And why is their historical role never mentioned in all the talk about “apologies” for slavery?
Alabama State Senate
DemocRAT Party 23
Republican Party 12
Alabama State House
DemocRAT Party 62
Republican Party 43
Let this be a lesson to what happens when you elect so-called “conservative” RATS in the south.
Like Charlie Crist wasn’t lesson enough!
>> I see no need for the apology
Libs like to make pretend. It’s easy. The true effort towards the equality promised in our Constitution requires patience, humility, discipline, and the ongoing activity of decency, communication, education, and willingness none of which are glamorous, hip, nor fashionable.
An apology in this era is both arrogant and condescending. Those that advocate for the apology have a dim view of America’s Black population.
And as one of the NAY voters mentioned, "What I have a problem with is apologizing for something I didn't do," said Rep. Jay Love, a Montgomery Republican."
There are no ex slave owners alive today to apologize and there are no ex-slaves to apologize to. The members of the state legislature have nothing to apologize for, they weren't cheerleaders for slavery during any time in their career.
Therefore the only appopiate "apology" for be the Alabama DemocRAT party to issue a formal statement apologizing to ALL Americans for ITS historial role is promoting, defending, and working their butts off to uphold the "right" of enslaving other human beings.
I won't hold my breath waiting to see THAT "apology".
Incidentially, the Chicago City Council voted 49-1 to last year for a non-biding resolution to "research" the possiblity of paying out "slave reparations". There's only one Republican on the Chicago City Council. Wanna guess who the lone "nay" vote was?
Platform of the Alabama Democratic Party
Adopted at Montgomery, January, 1860
Resolved by the Democratic Party of the State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, That holding all issues and principles upon which they have heretofore affiliated and acted with the National Democratic party to be inferior in dignity and importance to the great question of slavery, they content themselves with a general re-affirmance of the Cincinnati Platform as to such issues, and also endorse said platform as to slavery, together with the following resolutions:
Resolved further, That we re-affirm so much of the first resolution of the Platform adopted in Convention by the Democracy of this State, on the 8th of January, 1856, as relates to the subject of slavery, to wit: “The unqualified right of the people of the slaveholding States to the Protection of their property in the States, in the Territories, and in the wilderness in which Territorial Governments are as yet unorganized.”
Resolved further, That the Territories of the United States are common property, in which the States have equal rights, and to which the citizens of every State may rightfully emigrate with their slaves or other property, recognised as such in any of the States of the Union, or by the Constitution of the United States.
Resolved further, That the Congress of the United States has no power to abolish slavery in the Territories, or to prohibit its introduction into any of them.
Resolved further, That the Territorial Legislatures, created by the legislation of Congress, have no power to abolish slavery, or to prohibit the introduction of the same, or to impair, by unfriendly legislation, the security and full enjoyment of the same within the Territories; and such constitutional power certainly does not belong to the people of the Territories in any capacity, before, in the exercise of a lawful authority, they form a Constitution preparatory to admission as a State into the Union; and their action in the exercise of such lawful authority certainly cannot operate or take effect before their actual admission as a State into the Union.
Resolved further, That the principles enunciated by Chief Justice Taney, in his opinion in the Dred Scott case, deny to the Territorial Legislature the power to destroy or impair, by any legislation whatever, the right of property in slaves, and maintain it to be the duty of Federal Government, in all of its departments, to protect the rights of the owner of such property in the Territories; and the principles so declared are hereby asserted to be the rights of the South, and the South should maintain them.
When will the Alabama RAT party apologize for THAT?
At no time in history did the Alabama GOP ever endorse such a position, so Alabama Republicans have nothing to “aplogize” for.
Their reparations was paid in blood of over 600,000 men dead. Sorry folks its time to move on. This was a long time ago..
Thanks for that little slice of history. The American public is so historically illiterate that they don’t even know which party supported slavery and which party fought it. And our pathetic media/educational system keeps that information top secret.
Yes, but that’s not really a point in favor of slavery. You could say the same about almost *any* major historical phenomenon.
The more relevant point, I think, is that the descendents of slaves here in America are far better off than they would be in Africa. And, no, I am not claiming that that justifies slavery in any way. But then again, I don’t need to apologize because I am a Republican, hence I am on the side that fought slavery.
As for reparations for slavery, I think they ought to be considered, but on one condition: if you accept the reparations, you must leave the United States for the rest of your life. If you are not willing to do that, then shut up and start taking advantage of the opportunities all around you.
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