WHEREAS, Not only did the royal charter lead to the
kidnapping of millions of people and a lifetime of oppression,
pain and enduring trauma for enslaved laborers and their progeny
for generations, but it also led to the political and military
deterioration of large geographical areas of an entire
continent; and
WHEREAS, The Middle Passage, as the trans-Atlantic journey
would become known, was infamous for its horrors due to the
overcrowded, unsanitary and brutal conditions for its captive
passengers on cargo ships in which hundreds of Africans were
held below the ship decks during the 5,000-mile voyage; and
WHEREAS, The trans-Atlantic slave trade, known for its
unparalleled inhumanity, left a lasting legacy of deep poverty,
structural inequality and systemic racism that persist in the
United States and abroad; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania legislature passed the "Act for the
Gradual Abolition of Slavery" on March 1, 1780, the first
legislative enactment to end slavery in America; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Constitution declares that "all men
are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent
and indefeasible rights, among which are those of enjoying and
defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and
protecting property and reputation, and of pursuing their own
happiness"; and
WHEREAS, While Pennsylvania was among the first colonies to
abolish slavery, the Commonwealth and many influential
Pennsylvanians, industries such as agriculture, manufacturing,
banking, finance, insurance, transportation and religious orders
significantly benefited directly and indirectly from enslaved
labor for decades after it was outlawed Statewide; and
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