I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7378 

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Frederick Douglass 

in recognition of his contributions to the cause of freedom, human 

rights, and the abolition of slavery in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 15, 2024 

Mr. IVEY (for himself, Mr. HARRIS, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. ARMSTRONG, Ms. 

BARRAGA ́N, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. BROWN, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 

CARTER of Louisiana, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CHU, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. CORREA, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. 

FOUSHEE, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GREEN

of Texas, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. HOYER, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JOHNSON

of Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, 

Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LAWLER, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mr. 

MFUME, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MULLIN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. 

NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. 

RASKIN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Ms. SALAZAR, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. 

SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. 

SEWELL, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. 

TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TRONE, Mr. VARGAS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, 

Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Ms. DAVIDS of 

Kansas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House 

Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Frederick Douglass in recognition of his contributions to the 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 7378 IH

cause of freedom, human rights, and the abolition of 

slavery in the United States. 

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 ‘‘Frederick Douglass 

5 Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Frederick Douglass overcame the harrowing 

9 circumstances of slavery to become one of America’s 

10 most prominent and influential figures as an aboli11 tionist, journalist, and activist. He used his voice 

12 and influence to advocate for the end of slavery, the 

13 advancement of civil rights, and the right of black 

14 men to vote. 

15 (2) Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 

16 February 1818 in the northeast corner of Talbot 

17 County near the town of Queen Anne. At age 6, 

18 Frederick Douglass began laboring at the wheat 

19 plantation of Colonel Edward Lloyd. He was soon 

20 transferred to Baltimore, where he worked for 7 

21 years in the residence of Hugh and Sophia Auld. 

22 (3) Despite laws that prohibited literacy of 

23 enslaved individuals, Frederick Douglass secretly 

24 taught himself to read and write by examining disVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:14 Feb 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7378.IH H7378

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 7378 IH

1 carded newspapers and studying books on rhetoric, 

2 mastering the style of the time period. On literacy, 

3 Douglass was clear, stating: ‘‘Once you learn to 

4 read, you will be forever free.’’, and that ‘‘Knowl5 edge makes a man unfit to be a slave.’’. 

6 (4) Douglass moved to a plantation near St. 

7 Michael, Maryland, where he started a secret school 

8 for slaves that was later broken up by an angry mob 

9 of white townspeople. As punishment, Douglass was 

10 loaned out to a local farmer with a reputation as a 

11 ‘‘slave breaker’’. Undaunted, Douglass started an12 other school for slaves and began plotting to escape 

13 and liberate himself from slavery. 

14 (5) Sent back to the Auld residence in Balti15 more, Douglass unsuccessfully attempted to buy his 

16 freedom, and instead escaped in 1838 at the age of 

17 20. Speaking of his freedom, Douglass said, ‘‘I 

18 prayed for freedom for twenty years, but received no 

19 answer until I prayed with my legs.’’. He traveled to 

20 New York where he worked on whaling ships while 

21 avoiding slave catchers. He adopted the surname 

22 ‘‘Douglass’’ on the suggestion of his friend, Nathan 

23 Johnson, who was inspired by a character in Sir 

24 Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 7378 IH

1 (6) Speaking at the August 1841 convention of 

2 the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society on Nan3 tucket Island, Douglass garnered the attention of 

4 leading abolitionists, catapulting him into a speaking 

5 tour of northern states, where he and his fellow 

6 speakers often endured verbal and physical abuse. 

7 (7) Douglass supported women’s rights. He at8 tended the renowned Seneca Falls Convention in 

9 1848, supporting the inclusion of a landmark resolu10 tion that demanded the right for all women to vote. 

11 (8) His groundbreaking autobiographies, includ12 ing ‘‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an 

13 American Slave’’ (1845), ‘‘My Bondage and My 

14 Freedom’’ (1855), and ‘‘Life and Times of Fred15 erick Douglass’’ (1881), provided detailed accounts 

16 of the life of an enslaved individual, the struggles to 

17 escape, and the fight for freedom. His abolitionist 

18 newspaper, the ‘‘North Star’’, promoted freedom for 

19 slaves domestically and abroad. These writings not 

20 only exposed the brutalities of slavery, but also dis21 pelled myths about African American inferiority. 

22 (9) Douglass spoke forcefully about human op23 pression. On August 3rd, 1857, he delivered an ad24 dress in Canandaigua, New York, emphasizing the 

25 work required to win freedom. ‘‘If there is no strugVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:14 Feb 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7378.IH H7378

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 7378 IH

1 gle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor 

2 freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who 

3 want crops without plowing up the ground; they 

4 want rain without thunder and lightning. They want 

5 the ocean without the awful roar of its many 

6 waters.’’ ‘‘This struggle may be a moral one, or it 

7 may be a physical one, and it may be both moral 

8 and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power con9 cedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it 

10 never will. Find out just what any people will quietly 

11 submit to and you have found out the exact measure 

12 of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon 

13 them, and these will continue till they are resisted 

14 with either words or blows, or with both. The limits 

15 of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those 

16 whom they oppress.’’. 

17 (10) Douglass was active politically, endorsing 

18 the anti-slavery platform of the Republican Party. 

19 He advised President Abraham Lincoln during the 

20 Civil War, pressing him to emancipate all slaves and 

21 allowing their enlistment in the Union Army. This 

22 policy would prove crucial to the Union Army’s re23 cruiting efforts and eventual victory over the Con24 federacy. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 7378 IH

1 (11) Douglass became the first Black journalist 

2 granted access to the Capitol press galleries. Hold3 ing membership from 1871 to 1875, he diligently re4 ported on legislative developments within the House 

5 and Senate during the Reconstruction era. His re6 ports consistently provided vital information to 

7 Black communities, bridging the gap between legis8 lative actions and their impacts on these commu9 nities. 

10 (12) After the war, Douglass continued to work 

11 on full implementation of abolition. Despite the pas12 sage of the Thirteenth Amendment that outlawed 

13 slavery, Douglass argued that ‘‘the work of Aboli14 tionists is not done’’, and that equal citizenship and 

15 rights were essential to finish the cause. He sup16 ported the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth 

17 Amendments, pushing above all for the right for 

18 black men to vote. 

19 (13) Douglass continued to advocate for full en20 gagement and enfranchisement of Blacks in society, 

21 denouncing and speaking on segregation and the 

22 growing wave of violence against Blacks in the 

23 American South. Frustrated that the promises of 

24 Reconstruction had not come to fruition, Douglass 

25 spoke in New Hampshire during the winter of 1875. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 7378 IH

1 He pondered to audiences why ‘‘the American people 

2 could stand for the centralization of slavery’’, but 

3 not ‘‘stand the centralization for liberty’’. 

4 (14) Douglass held several important public of5 fices, including U.S. Marshal for the District of Co6 lumbia (1877 to 1881), Recorder of Deeds for the 

7 District of Columbia (1881 to 1886), and Minister 

8 to Haiti (1889 to 1891), further solidifying his role 

9 as a statesman and leader. 

10 (15) Douglass was relentless in his push for 

11 equality through forceful speeches and writings until 

12 his death on February 20th, 1895. On February 

13 21st, 1895, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to 

14 adjourn to mourn his passing. Douglass laid in state 

15 in City Hall as tributes to his life spread across the 

16 country. 

17 (16) Frederick Douglass’s impact is not con18 fined to his era. His speeches, writings, and actions 

19 set precedents and laid foundations for future stages 

20 of the civil rights movement. His life story serves as 

21 a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and 

22 the power of determination. Reminding Americans 

23 that, ‘‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’’, 

24 the legacy of Frederick Douglass persists today in 

25 Easton, Maryland and across the world as his teachVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:14 Feb 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7378.IH H7378

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 7378 IH

1 ings, values, and ideals continue to inspire, chal2 lenge, and guide our nation towards a brighter, more 

3 inclusive future. 

4 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

5 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

6 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem7 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

8 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, 

9 of a gold medal of appropriate design to Frederick Doug10 lass, in recognition of his contributions to the cause of 

11 freedom, human rights, and the abolition of slavery in the 

12 United States. 

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

14 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

15 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec16 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

17 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec18 retary. 

19 (c) AWARD OF MEDAL.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—After the award of the gold 

21 medal referred to in subsection (a), the gold medal 

22 shall be given to the National Museum of African 

23 American History and Culture, where it shall be dis24 played as appropriate. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 7378 IH

1 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

2 Congress that the National Museum of African 

3 American History and Culture should make the gold 

4 medal received under paragraph (1) available for 

5 display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and 

6 events associated with Frederick Douglass. 

7 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

8 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre9 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

10 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

11 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

12 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

13 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

14 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 

15 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 

16 31, United States Code. 

17 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

18 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

19 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

20 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

21 SALE. 

22 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

23 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

24 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:24 Feb 23, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7378.IH H7378

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 7378 IH

1 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

2 to this Act. 

3 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—The amounts received 

4 from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under 

5 section 5 shall be deposited into the United States Mint 

6 Public Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB