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107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1668

To authorize the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative

work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs

to honor former President John Adams and his family.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 1, 2001

Mr. ROEMER (for himself, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. OLVER, Mr.

NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. FRANK, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr.

TIERNEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. MOAKLEY, Mr. GREENWOOD,

Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. KIND, and Mrs.

CHRISTENSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To authorize the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish

a commemorative work on Federal land in the District

of Columbia and its environs to honor former President

John Adams and his family.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. COMMEMORATIVE WORK TO HONOR JOHN

4 ADAMS AND HIS FAMILY.

5 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
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1 (1) Few families have contributed as profoundly

2 to the United States as the family that gave the Na3 tion its second president, John Adams; its sixth

4 president, John Quincy Adams; first ladies Abigail

5 Smith Adams and Louisa Catherine Johnson

6 Adams; and succeeding generations of statesmen,

7 diplomats, advocates, and authors.

8 (2) John Adams (1735–1826), a lawyer, a

9 statesman, and a patriot, was the author of the Con10 stitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

11 (the oldest written constitution still in force), the

12 leader of the Second Continental Congress, a driving

13 force for independence, a negotiator of the Treaty of

14 Paris (which brought the Revolutionary War to an

15 end), the first Vice President, the second President,

16 and an unwavering exponent of freedom of con17 science and the rule of law.

18 (3) Abigail Smith Adams (1744–1818) was one

19 of the most remarkable women of her time. Wife of

20 one president and mother of another, she was an

21 early advocate for the rights of women and served

22 the cause of liberty as a prolific writer, fierce pa23 triot, and staunch abolitionist.

24 (4) John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), was a

25 distinguished lawyer, legislator, and diplomat and a
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1 master of 7 languages, who served as Senator, Min2 ister to the Netherlands under President George

3 Washington, Minister to Prussia under the first

4 President Adams, Minister to Great Britain under

5 President James Madison, chief negotiator of the

6 Treaty of Ghent (which ended the War of 1812),

7 Secretary of State under President James Monroe,

8 author of the Monroe Doctrine (which declared the

9 Western Hemisphere off limits to European imperial

10 expansion), sixth President, and the only former

11 President to be elected to the House of Representa12 tives, where he was known as ‘‘Old Man Eloquent’’

13 and served with great distinction as a leader in the

14 fight against slavery and a champion of unpopular

15 causes.

16 (5) Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (1775–

17 1852) was an educated, accomplished woman and

18 the only first lady born outside the United States.

19 Like Abigail Adams, she wrote eloquently on behalf

20 of the rights of women and in opposition to slavery.

21 (6) Charles Francis Adams (1807–1886), the

22 son of John Quincy and Louisa Adams, served 6

23 years in the Massachusetts legislature, was a stead24 fast abolitionist who received the Free Soil Party’s

25 vice-presidential nomination in 1848, was elected to
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1 his father’s seat in the House of Representatives in

2 1856, and served as ambassador to Great Britain

3 during the Civil War, where his efforts were decisive

4 in preventing the British Government from recog5 nizing the independence of the Confederacy.

6 (7) Henry Adams (1838–1918), the son of

7 Charles Francis Adams, was an eminent writer,

8 scholar, historian, and public intellectual, and was

9 the author of many celebrated works, including ‘‘De10 mocracy’’, ‘‘The Education of Henry Adams’’, and

11 his 9-volume ‘‘History of the United States during

12 the Administrations of Jefferson and Madison’’.

13 (8) Both individually and collectively, the mem14 bers of this illustrious family have enriched the Na15 tion through their profound civic consciousness,

16 abiding belief in the perfectibility of the Nation’s de17 mocracy, and commitment to service and sacrifice

18 for the common good.

19 (9) Although the Congress has authorized the

20 establishment of commemorative works on Federal

21 lands in the District of Columbia honoring such cele22 brated former Presidents as George Washington,

23 Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, the Na24 tional Capital has no comparable memorial to the

25 Adams legacy.
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1 (10) In recognition of the 200th anniversary of

2 the end of the presidency of John Adams, the time

3 has come to correct this oversight so that future

4 generations of Americans will know and understand

5 the preeminent historical and lasting significance to

6 the Nation of his contributions and those of his fam7 ily.

8 (b) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COMMEMORATIVE

9 WORK.—The Adams Memorial Foundation may establish

10 a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of

11 Columbia and its environs to honor former President John

12 Adams and his wife Abigail, former President John Quin13 cy Adams and his wife Louisa, and their legacy of public

14 service.

15 (c) COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS FOR COMMEMO16 RATIVE WORKS.—The establishment of the commemora17 tive work shall be in accordance with the Commemorative

18 Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001, et seq.).

19 (d) USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS PROHIBITED.—Fed20 eral funds may not be used to pay any expense of the es21 tablishment of the commemorative work. The Adams Me22 morial Foundation shall be solely responsible for accept23 ance of contributions for, and payment of the expenses

24 of, the establishment of the commemorative work.
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1 (e) DEPOSIT OF EXCESS FUNDS.—If, upon payment

2 of all expenses of the establishment of the commemorative

3 work (including the maintenance and preservation amount

4 provided for in section 8(b) of the Commemorative Works

5 Act (40 U.S.C. 1001, et seq.)), or upon expiration of the

6 authority for the commemorative work under section 10(b)

7 of such Act, there remains a balance of funds received for

8 the establishment of the commemorative work, the Adams

9 Memorial Foundation shall transmit the amount of the

10 balance to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit in

11 the account provided for in section 8(b)(1) of such Act.

12 (f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act, the

13 terms ‘‘commemorative work’’ and ‘‘the District of Colum14 bia and its environs’’ have the meanings given to such

15 terms in section 2 of the Commemorative Works Act (40

16 U.S.C. 1002).

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