12 2 STA T .607PUBLIC LA W 110 – 1 83—FE B. 5, 2008 withou t rel ie fas the y were tra n s p orte d a c ross the A tlantic O cean to the A m ericas .(6)D urin g the M iddle P assage , ensla v ed Africans resisted their enslavement through non - violent and violent means, including hunger stri k es, suicide, and ship b oard revolts, the most historically-recogni z ed events taking place on board the Don C arlos in 1732 and on board the Amistad in 1 8 3 9 . (7) S cholars estimate that, at a minimum, between 1 0 ,000,000 and 1 5 ,000,000 Africans survived the Middle Pas- sage, were imported as chattel through customs houses and ports across the Americas, and were sold into slavery. (8) T he thirteenth amendment to the Constitution of the U nited States recognizes that ‘ ‘ N either slavery nor involuntary servitude, e x cept as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place sub j ect to their jurisdiction. ’ ’. (9) The slave trade and the legacy of slavery continue to have a profound impact on social and economic disparity, hatred, bias, racism, and discrimination, and continue to affect people in the Americas, particularly those of African descent. (10) I n 2007, the B ritish Parliament marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the former British E mpire with plans launched by the Department for Education and Skills which provided joint funding of £ 910,000 ( $ 1,800,000) for the Understanding Slavery Initiative, and the H eritage L ottery F und announced awards of over £20,000,000 ($ 4 0,000,000) for projects to commemorate the anniversary. (b) P URPOSE . — The purpose of this Act is to establish the Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade to— (1) ensure a suitable national observance of the bicenten- nial anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade by sponsoring and supporting commemorative programs
(2) cooperate with and assist programs and activities throughout the United States in observance of the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; (3) assist in ensuring that the observations of the bicenten- nial anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade are inclusive and appropriately recognize the experiences of all people during this period in history; (4) support and facilitate international involvement in observances of the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; and (5) study the impact of the transatlantic slave trade on the United States and the Americas. SEC.3 .ES TABLI S HM E N T OF COMMISSION. There is established a commission to be known as the ‘‘Commis- sion on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade’’ (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Commission’’). SEC. 4 . MEMBE R SHI P,DU TIES, AND RELATED MATTERS. (a) ME MB ERS HI P.— (1) I NG ENER AL .— (A) The Commission shall be composed of nine mem- bers, of whom— (i) three shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of R epresentatives;
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