HRES550NOV9

The preamble notes Ethiopia’s long history and the discovery of the earliest hominid, ‘Lucy’ found there. Further, in 615 AD, Ethiopia welcomed the followers of the Prophet Mohammed.

Other firsts, such as the first cultivation of coffee are noted.

More resolution below….

Sponsor: Rep. Michael M. Honda (D-CA-15^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote November 5, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost.

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Whereas Ethiopia is a proud country with a long, rich history;

Whereas the earliest known hominid, internationally known as Lucy and classified as the Australopithecus Afarensis, was found in Ethiopia;

Whereas Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never colonized, with the exception of the 6 years of occupation by the Fascist government of Italy;

Whereas in 615, the people of Ethiopia welcomed the followers of the Prophet Mohammed, including the Prophet's wife;

Whereas in the 9th century, Ethiopians discovered coffee in what is now known as the Kaffa region;

Whereas in 1137, the Zagwe Dynasty came to power in the Christian Highlands of Ethiopia;

Whereas the Zagwe Dynasty is responsible for the construction of Lalibela, a group of 11 medieval monolithic rock-hewn churches of the 13th-century;

Whereas Lalibela was recognized as a wonder of the world in 1978 by the World Heritage mission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);

Whereas in 1270, Yekuno Amlak took power from the last ruler of the Zagwe Dynasty, Emperor Habre II, restoring the Solomonic Dynasty in Ethiopia;

Whereas in 1529, Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, also known as Ahmad the Left-Handed or in Amharic Ahmad Gran, invaded Ethiopia and by 1535 his forces took control of southern and central regions of Ethiopia;

Whereas in 1543, Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos defeated the occupation forces of Gran, who was killed in battle;

Whereas Emperor Tewdros II began the modernization of Ethiopia and led a successful campaign to unify Ethiopia;

Whereas on April 10, 1868, Emperor Tewdros committed suicide rather than surrender to the invading forces of Britain in the Battle of Maqdal;

Whereas in 1889, King Menelik II of Shoa became Emperor of Ethiopia and ruled Ethiopia until 1913;

Whereas the proud and courageous people of Ethiopia defeated the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adwa in 1896;

Whereas United States-Ethiopian relations were established on December 27, 1903, by Emperor Menelik and President Theodore Roosevelt;

Whereas since then, the Ethiopian-American community has grown to become the second largest African immigrant group in the United States;

Whereas in 1908, colonial powers recognized Ethiopia's borders and sovereignty;

Whereas in 1917, railroad work connecting Addis Ababa, the capital, and Djibouti was completed;

Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia officially banned the slave trade;

Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia joined the League of Nations;

Whereas in 1931, the Bank of Ethiopia was founded;

Whereas in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia;

Whereas Emperor Haile Selassie modernized Ethiopia, kept the country united, and largely peaceful;

Whereas Ethiopia played a pivotal role in creating the Organization of Africa Unity (OAU), which was founded on May 25, 1963;

Whereas Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, became the headquarters of the OAU and remains the headquarters of its successor, the African Union;

Whereas in 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie was ousted from power through a military coup by a military junta known as the Derg;

Whereas in May 1991, the brutal dictatorship of the Derg came to an end after a 17-year reign of terror;

Whereas Ethiopia played an important role in the struggle for freedom for many African countries during the colonial period;

Whereas in January 1962, freedom fighter Nelson Mandela in his address before the Pan African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa (PAFMECA) declared the following: `It was not without reason, we believe, that the Secretariat of PAFMECA chose as the seat of this conference the great country of Ethiopia, which, with hundreds of years of colorful history behind it, can rightly claim to have paid the full price of freedom and independence. His Imperial Majesty, himself a rich and unfailing fountain of wisdom, has been foremost in promoting the cause of unity, independence, and progress in Africa, as was so amply demonstrated in the address he graciously delivered in opening this assembly.'; and

Whereas the 8th African Union Summit, held from January 29-30, 2007, officially declared the second Ethiopian millennium as the second African millennium: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) congratulates the people of Ethiopia on the second millennium of Ethiopia;

(2) recognizes the long, rich history of Ethiopia;

(3) commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the African continent through the role it played in the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU);

(4) recognizes the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia and the United States;

(5) commends the organizers of the second millennium celebration in Ethiopia and the United States; and

(6) calls for a peaceful and jubilant celebration of the second millennium of Ethiopia.

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