H. Con. Res. 99 Agreed to February 15, 2012

One Hundred Twelfth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twelve 

Concurrent Resolution 

Whereas enslaved African-Americans provided labor essential to 

the construction of the United States Capitol; 

Whereas in 2005 Congress created the Slave Labor Task Force 

to study the role that enslaved African-Americans played in the 

construction of the Capitol and to make recommendations to 

Congress on how to commemorate their contribution; 

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; 
H. Con. Res. 99—2 

Whereas in 2007 the Slave Labor Task Force recommended to 

Congress the creation of a marker commemorating the contributions of enslaved African-Americans in the construction of the 

Capitol; and 

Whereas the marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Americans 

who helped to build the Capitol reflects 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. USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR CEREMONY TO UNVEIL 

MARKER DEDICATED TO ENSLAVED AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO HELPED BUILD THE CAPITOL. 

(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor 

Center is authorized to be used on February 28, 2012, for a ceremony to unveil the marker which acknowledges the role that slave 

labor played in the construction of the United States Capitol. 

(b) PREPARATIONS.—Physical preparations for the conduct of 

the ceremony described in subsection (a) shall be carried out in 

accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed by the 

Architect of the Capitol. 

Attest: 

Clerk of the House of Representatives. 

Attest: 

Secretary of the Senate.