H.Res. 336 is a congressional resolution honoring the historic escape attempt of 77 enslaved people aboard the Pearl, a schooner, in April 1848. On April 16, 1848, these enslaved individuals—men, women, and children—attempted to flee slavery in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia with help from abolitionists including ship captain Daniel Drayton, free Black leaders Paul Jennings and Paul Edmonson, and white abolitionist William Chaplin, with financial support from abolitionist Gerrit Smith. The escape was discovered and intercepted near Maryland three days later, and the enslaved people were captured and sold to traders who took them to New Orleans, while the white abolitionists faced arrest and imprisonment. The resolution recognizes this event as the largest known coordinated escape by enslaved people in American history and acknowledges its significance to both Washington, D.C. and American history, noting that it reportedly inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel *Uncle Tom's Cabin*. This is a symbolic measure with no funding or regulatory impact—it simply expresses Congress's recognition and honor of those involved in this abolitionist effort.
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