IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 44 

Directing the Joint Committee on the Library to revise the statue commemorating women’s suffrage which is located in the rotunda of the United 

States Capitol, commonly known as the ‘‘Portrait Monument’’, by placing 

on the statue an inscription which is based on the original inscription 

which was on the statue when the statue was delivered to the United 

States Capitol in 1921, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2019 

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York submitted the following concurrent 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Directing the Joint Committee on the Library to revise the 

statue commemorating women’s suffrage which is located 

in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, commonly 

known as the ‘‘Portrait Monument’’, by placing on the 

statue an inscription which is based on the original inscription which was on the statue when the statue was 

delivered to the United States Capitol in 1921, and for 

other purposes. 

Whereas, on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment to the 

Constitution was ratified, giving women in the United 

States the right to vote; 


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Whereas in recognition of this historic achievement, on February 10, 1921, the National Woman’s Party presented 

to Congress a monument, commonly known as the ‘‘Portrait Monument’’, in honor of the pioneers of the suffrage 

movement that won women the right to vote; 

Whereas the monument was accepted on behalf of Congress 

by the Joint Committee on the Library; 

Whereas, on February 15, 1921, the 101st anniversary of the 

birth of Susan B. Anthony, an unveiling ceremony was 

held in the rotunda of the Capitol; 

Whereas sculpted by Adelaide Johnson and originally referred 

to as the Memorial to the Pioneers of the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, the monument includes busts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia 

Mott, as well as an uncarved marble block as a reminder 

that the work of women gaining equality was not completed with the passage of the 19th amendment; 

Whereas the original monument also included an inscription 

that read: 

‘‘Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. 

Anthony, the three great destiny characters of the world 

whose spiritual import and historical significance transcend that of all others of any country or age. 

‘‘Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the 

call of that first woman’s rights convention of 1848 initiated and Susan B. Anthony marshalling the latent forces 

through three generations down more than a half century of time guided the only fundamental universal uprising on our planet. The woman’s revolution. 


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‘‘Principle not policy; justice, not favor; men, their 

rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less, was the clarion call to the most astounding upheaval of all time. A call which waked the world, signaled and inaugurated a revolution without tradition or 

precedent, and proclaimed the first incontrovertible concept of human freedom—that of individual liberty—personal responsibility, including women. 

‘‘Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, 

now arisen declared herself an entity to be reckoned. 

‘‘This mightiest of revolutions encircling the globe 

accomplishing without bloodshed the overthrow of entrenched dogma and hoary bigotries reached to the farthermost roots of being. Here indeed was the first, the 

only impeachable demand for right as might ever made. 

‘‘Spiritually the woman movement is the all-enfolding one. It represents the emancipation of womanhood. 

The release of the feminine principle in humanity. The 

moral integration of human evolution come to rescue 

torn and struggling humanity from its savage self. 

‘‘Historically these three stand unique and peerless.’’; 

Whereas shortly after it was unveiled in the Capitol in 1921, 

Congress moved the monument to the Capitol ‘‘Crypt’’, 

which was not open to the public at the time, and ordered that the inscription be removed from the monument; 


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Whereas at the time of the unveiling, the inscription was considered ‘‘blasphemous’’; 

Whereas the monument remained in the Capitol ‘‘Crypt’’ 

until Congress passed H. Con. Res. 216 on September 

27, 1996, directing the Architect of the Capitol to relocate the monument to the Rotunda of the Capitol; 

Whereas, since May 14, 1997, the Portrait Monument has 

been on display in the rotunda of the Capitol; and 

Whereas the original Portrait Monument inscription was 

never restored or replaced: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. RESTORATION OF ORIGINAL INSCRIPTION ON 

4 PORTRAIT MONUMENT. 

5 (a) RESTORATION.—Not later than one year after the 

6 date of the adoption of this resolution, the Joint Com7 mittee on the Library shall revise the statue commemo8 rating women’s suffrage located in the rotunda of the 

9 United States Capitol (commonly known as the ‘‘Portrait 

10 Monument’’) by placing on the statue an inscription which 

11 is based on the original inscription that was on the statue 

12 when the statue was delivered to the United States Capitol 

13 on February 10, 1921. 

14 (b) USE OF ROTUNDA OF UNITED STATES CAPITOL

15 FOR UNVEILING CEREMONY.—The rotunda of the United 

16 States Capitol is authorized to be used on a date mutually 

17 agreed to by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 


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1 and the Majority Leader of the Senate for a ceremony to 

2 unveil the Portrait Monument as revised by the Joint 

3 Committee on the Library under subsection (a). The Ar4 chitect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board shall 

5 take such action as may be necessary with respect to phys6 ical preparations and security for the ceremony. 

7 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

8 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

9 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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