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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 135 Received in Senate (RDS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 135

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 8, 2009

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
      Directing the Architect of the Capitol to place a marker in 
Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center which acknowledges the 
 role that slave labor played in the construction of the United States 
                    Capitol, and for other purposes.

Whereas enslaved African-Americans provided labor essential to the construction 
        of the United States Capitol;
Whereas the report of the Architect of the Capitol entitled ``History of Slave 
        Laborers in the Construction of the United States Capitol'' documents 
        the role of slave labor in the construction of the Capitol;
Whereas enslaved African-Americans performed the backbreaking work of quarrying 
        the stone which comprised many of the floors, walls, and columns of the 
        Capitol;
Whereas enslaved African-Americans also participated in other facets of 
        construction of the Capitol, including carpentry, masonry, carting, 
        rafting, roofing, plastering, glazing, painting, and sawing;
Whereas the marble columns in the Old Senate Chamber and the sandstone walls of 
        the East Front corridor remain as the lasting legacies of the enslaved 
        African-Americans who worked the quarries;
Whereas slave-quarried stones from the remnants of the original Capitol walls 
        can be found in Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia;
Whereas the Statue of Freedom now atop the Capitol dome could not have been cast 
        without the pivotal intervention of Philip Reid, an enslaved African-
        American foundry worker who deciphered the puzzle of how to separate the 
        5-piece plaster model for casting when all others failed;
Whereas the great hall of the Capitol Visitor Center was named Emancipation Hall 
        to help acknowledge the work of the slave laborers who built the 
        Capitol;
Whereas no narrative on the construction of the Capitol that does not include 
        the contribution of enslaved African-Americans can fully and accurately 
        reflect its history;
Whereas recognition of the contributions of enslaved African-Americans brings to 
        all Americans an understanding of the continuing evolution of our 
        representative democracy; and
Whereas a marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Americans who helped to build 
        the Capitol will reflect the charge of the Capitol Visitor Center to 
        teach visitors about Congress and its development: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. PLACEMENT OF MARKER IN CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER TO ACKNOWLEDGE 
              ROLE OF SLAVE LABOR IN CONSTRUCTION OF CAPITOL.

    (a) Procurement and Placement of Marker.--The Architect of the 
Capitol, subject to the approval of the Committee on House 
Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Rules and Administration of the Senate, shall design, procure, and 
place in a prominent location in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol 
Visitor Center a marker which acknowledges the role that slave labor 
played in the construction of the United States Capitol.
    (b) Criteria for Design of Marker.--In developing the design for 
the marker required under subsection (a), the Architect of the 
Capitol--
            (1) shall take into consideration the recommendations 
        developed by the Slave Labor Task Force Working Group;
            (2) shall, to the greatest extent practicable, ensure that 
        the marker includes stone which was quarried by slaves in the 
        construction of the Capitol; and
            (3) shall ensure that the marker includes a plaque or 
        inscription which describes the purpose of the marker.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 7, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.
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