IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 884 

Honoring the town of Nicodemus, Kansas, for its contribution to American 

history. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 21, 2006 

Mr. MORAN of Kansas (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. ENGLISH of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. COSTA, 

Mr. SOUDER, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. OSBORNE, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. FORBES, 

Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. HULSHOF, Mr. FILNER, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. 

UDALL of Colorado, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. WALDEN of Oregon, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. SIMPSON, 

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. BERRY, 

Mr. CLAY, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. 

SHADEGG, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. RYUN of Kansas, 

Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. TERRY, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, and 

Mr. WEXLER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Resources 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the town of Nicodemus, Kansas, for its 

contribution to American history. 

Whereas, in the South, the rights gained by African-Americans immediately following the Civil War were largely 

stripped away at the end of the Reconstruction period; 


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•HRES 884 IH 

Whereas this Nation was founded on the ideals of freedom 

and equality for all; 

Whereas the West was viewed as a land of opportunity; 

Whereas many African-Americans left the South and moved 

west in search of the freedom and opportunity promised 

to all Americans; 

Whereas abolitionists shed blood for the State of Kansas to 

enter the Union as a Free State; 

Whereas Kansans welcomed African-Americans from the 

South making Kansas their new home; 

Whereas Nicodemus, Kansas, was planned and founded by 

six African-American men; 

Whereas, on September 17, 1877, the first formal group of 

settlers, numbering 350, arrived in Nicodemus, Kansas; 

Whereas Nicodemus, Kansas, offered African-Americans an 

opportunity to own their own land, make a living farming, and prosper in a jurisdiction self-governed by African-Americans; 

Whereas, during a time when many African-Americans were 

denied an education in the South, African-Americans in 

Nicodemus, Kansas, established schools to educate the 

town’s children; 

Whereas Nicodemus, Kansas, grew and prospered in the 

1880s as a result of the ingenuity of African-American 

entrepreneurs and the dedication of African-American 

farmers; 

Whereas the hard work, resourcefulness, and courage of the 

African-American pioneers who founded and lived in 

Nicodemus, Kansas, serves as an example of the American spirit; 


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•HRES 884 IH 

Whereas Nicodemus, Kansas, is the only remaining Western 

town established by African-Americans during the Reconstruction period; 

Whereas, in January 1976, the Nicodemus Historic District 

was designated as a National Historic Landmark; 

Whereas, on November 12, 1996, Congress established the 

Nicodemus National Historic Site to preserve, protect, 

and interpret the remaining structures and locations that 

represent the history of the town of Nicodemus, Kansas; 

Whereas the National Park Service and the current residents 

of Nicodemus, Kansas, are working to preserve this historic site for future generations; and 

Whereas, this year, Nicodemus, Kansas, will celebrate its 

tenth anniversary as a national historic site: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors the town of Nicodemus, Kansas, for 

3 its contribution to American history; and 

4 (2) commends and encourages the preservation 

5 efforts of the National Park Service and the resi6 dents of Nicodemus, Kansas. 

Æ 


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