(CNSNews.com) - The House of Representatives, by voice vote Tuesday evening, passed a resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans. It is the first time the federal government has ever formally apologized for slavery or racial segregation.
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee introduced the measure in February. Many of Cohen's Memphis-area constituents are black.
"I am very proud that my colleagues in the House of Representatives passed our resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow in the United States," Cohen said in a statement after the resolution passed.
"This is a historic moment in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in this country, and I hope that this legislation can serve to open the dialogue on race and equality for all. Apologies are not empty gestures, but are a necessary first step towards any sort of reconciliation between people."
Cohen said his measure had 120 co-sponsors "from both sides of the aisle."
The resolution:
(1) “acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;
(2) apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow; and
(3) expresses its commitment to rectify the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against African-Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to stop the occurrence of human rights violations in the future."
Congress previously has apologized for the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was asked over the weekend if, as president, he would apologize to Native Americans for the way they were treated by newcomers to the United States.
"I personally would want to see our tragic history or the tragic elements of our history acknowledged. When it comes to our treatment of Native Americans as well as other persons of colour in this country, we’ve got some very sad and difficult things to account for," Obama told the UNITY convention of minority journalists in Chicago.
But he also said it's more important for the government to offer deeds rather than words: "The best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people that are unemployed," Obama said.
Some observers see government apologies as the first step to financial reparations.