I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1244 

To posthumously award a historic Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, 

to Africans and their descendants enslaved within our country from 

August 20, 1619, to December 6, 1865. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2023 

Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. OCASIOCORTEZ, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. CARSON, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. 

LEE of California, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 

KEATING, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. BUSH, Mr. DAVIS of 

Illinois, Mr. SOTO, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. 

TRONE, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. ROSS, Mr. KILMER, Ms. TITUS, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. EVANS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. 

IVEY, Ms. MENG, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CASAR, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 

MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. 

OMAR, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. NADLER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. 

CASTRO of Texas, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. 

JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. 

BROWNLEY, Ms. PORTER, Mr. MFUME, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mrs. 

FLETCHER, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mrs. TRAHAN, 

Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. POCAN, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. WATERS, Mr. 

FROST, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. 

TONKO, Mr. AGUILAR, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. TLAIB, 

Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. 

MOULTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. BROWN, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. COHEN, 

Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. GARCIA of 

Texas, Mr. LIEU, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, and Ms. 

CLARKE of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and the Budget, for a period to be subseVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H1244.IH H1244

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quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To posthumously award a historic Congressional Gold Medal, 

collectively, to Africans and their descendants enslaved 

within our country from August 20, 1619, to December 

6, 1865. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘The original legislation 

5 awarding a historic Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, 

6 to Africans and their descendants enslaved within our 

7 country from August 20, 1619, to December 6, 1865’’. 

8 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress finds the following: 

10 (1) Human beings were systematically abducted 

11 from the continent of Africa and placed against their 

12 will onto ships that would cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

13 (2) These persons were chained within the 

14 holds of ships in horrendous conditions for the dura15 tion of the transatlantic journey, which lasted up to 

16 six months. 


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1 (3) Upon arrival in North America, they were 

2 forced into labor among the English and European 

3 colonies that would later become the United States. 

4 (4) Their enslavement was concentrated on 

5 farms and plantations that produced crops such as 

6 cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. 

7 (5) The practice of slavery continued up to and 

8 past the eventual American Revolution against Eng9 land and the founding of the United States of Amer10 ica. 

11 (6) In the ensuing decades, slavery persisted 

12 primarily in States where the economy was based 

13 significantly on farming. 

14 (7) The treatment of enslaved people continued 

15 to be horrendous in nature, including exploitation, 

16 family separation, rape, torture, and degradation, 

17 among other cruelties. 

18 (8) Slave labor was essential to the functioning 

19 of many farms and plantations and therefore was es20 sential to the growth of the United States economy 

21 as a whole. 

22 (9) Slave labor was used to build notable build23 ings and monuments in the United States, including 

24 the United States Capitol Building, the White 

25 House, the Washington Monument, Mount Vernon, 


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1 which was the home of George Washington, and 

2 Monticello, which was the home of Thomas Jeffer3 son. 

4 (10) The profits from and involvement of slave 

5 labor were also essential to the construction of the 

6 Smithsonian Institution, Wall Street, Harvard Uni7 versity, Georgetown University, and Fort Sumter. 

8 (11) It has been estimated that the total eco9 nomic value of slave labor is between $5.9 trillion 

10 and $14.2 trillion in 2009 dollars. 

11 (12) The United States became increasingly di12 vided between slaveholding and non-slaveholding 

13 States and territories, including as to whether slav14 ery should be expanded to new States and territories 

15 or abolished altogether. 

16 (13) The secession of States from the United 

17 States began on December 20, 1860, and led to the 

18 formation of the Confederate States of America on 

19 February 4, 1861. 

20 (14) The American Civil War began on April 

21 12, 1861, with the attack on Fort Sumter by Con22 federate forces. 

23 (15) On January 1, 1863, President Abraham 

24 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation deVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1244.IH H1244

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1 claring that ‘‘all persons held as slaves’’ in Confed2 erate States ‘‘henceforward shall be free’’. 

3 (16) After four years of grueling battle and 

4 conflict, the Civil War concluded with the surrender 

5 of the commander of the Confederate forces on April 

6 9, 1865, although fighting continued until November 

7 6, 1865, and the Civil War was proclaimed to be 

8 over by President Andrew Johnson on August 20, 

9 1866. 

10 (17) The 13th Amendment to the United States 

11 Constitution abolishing slavery passed the Congress 

12 on January 31, 1865, and was ratified by the re13 quired number of States on December 6, 1865. 

14 (18) The text of the 13th Amendment states 

15 that, ‘‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, ex16 cept as a punishment for crime whereof the party 

17 shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the 

18 United States, or any place subject to their jurisdic19 tion.’’. 

20 (19) The use of slave labor over hundreds of 

21 years resulted in immense suffering and deprivation 

22 among the people who fell victim to these abhorrent 

23 practices. 


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1 (20) At the same time, the extensive, long-term 

2 use of unpaid labor advantaged the United States 

3 economy immeasurably. 

4 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

5 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

6 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

7 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

8 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of ap9 propriate design dedicated to the enslaved persons collec10 tively in recognition of their service as the greatest con11 tributors to the foundation of America’s economic great12 ness. 

13 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 

14 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

15 Treasury shall strike the gold medal with suitable em16 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 

17 Secretary. 

18 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.—Following the 

19 award of the gold medal described in subsection (a), the 

20 gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, 

21 where it will be displayed at the National Museum of Afri22 can American History & Culture and made available for 

23 research. 


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1 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may strike and sell 

3 duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under sec4 tion 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the bronze 

5 medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 

6 and overhead expenses. 

7 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALES.—The amounts received 

8 from the sale of duplicate medals under subsection (a) 

9 shall be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enter10 prise Fund. 

11 (c) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

12 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

13 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec14 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

15 this Act. 

16 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

17 The gold medal struck pursuant to this Act is a na18 tional medal for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

19 States Code. 

20 SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

21 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

22 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

23 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

24 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

25 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

26 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1244.IH H1244

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1 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

2 vote on passage. 

Æ 


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