107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1668

AN ACT

To authorize the Adams Memorial Foundation to

establish a commemorative work on Federal landin the District of Columbia and its environs tohonor former President John Adams and his legacy.

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1668

AN ACT

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 legacy.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2

•HR 1668 EH

1 SECTION 1. COMMEMORATIVE WORK TO HONOR JOHN

2 ADAMS AND HIS LEGACY.

3 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:

4 (1) Few families have contributed as profoundly

5 to the United States as the family that gave the Na6 tion its second president, John Adams; its sixth

7 president, John Quincy Adams; first ladies Abigail

8 Smith Adams and Louisa Catherine Johnson

9 Adams; and succeeding generations of statesmen,

10 diplomats, advocates, and authors.

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

12 statesman, and a patriot, was the author of the Con13 stitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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

15 leader of the Second Continental Congress, a driving

16 force for independence, a negotiator of the Treaty of

17 Paris (which brought the Revolutionary War to an

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

19 and an unwavering exponent of freedom of con20 science and the rule of law.

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

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

23 former President John Adams and mother of former

24 President John Quincy Adams, she was an early ad25 vocate for the rights of women and served the cause
3

•HR 1668 EH

1 of liberty as a prolific writer, fierce patriot, and

2 staunch abolitionist.

3 (4) John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), the son

4 of John and Abigail Adams, was a distinguished

5 lawyer, legislator, and diplomat and a master of 7

6 languages, who served as Senator, Minister to the

7 Netherlands under President George Washington,

8 Minister to Prussia under the first President Adams,

9 Minister to Great Britain under President James

10 Madison, chief negotiator of the Treaty of Ghent

11 (which ended the War of 1812), Secretary of State

12 under President James Monroe, author of the Mon13 roe Doctrine (which declared the Western Hemi14 sphere off limits to European imperial expansion),

15 sixth President, and the only former President to be

16 elected to the House of Representatives, where he

17 was known as ‘‘Old Man Eloquent’’ and served with

18 great distinction as a leader in the fight against

19 slavery and a champion of unpopular causes.

20 (5) Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (1775–

21 1852), the wife of former President John Quincy

22 Adams, was an educated, accomplished woman and

23 the only first lady born outside the United States.

24 Like Abigail Adams, she wrote eloquently on behalf

25 of the rights of women and in opposition to slavery.
4

•HR 1668 EH

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

2 son of John Quincy and Louisa Adams, served 6

3 years in the Massachusetts legislature, was a stead4 fast abolitionist who received the Free Soil Party’s

5 vice-presidential nomination in 1848, was elected to

6 his father’s seat in the House of Representatives in

7 1856, and served as ambassador to Great Britain

8 during the Civil War, where his efforts were decisive

9 in preventing the British Government from recog10 nizing the independence of the Confederacy.

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

12 Charles Francis Adams, was an eminent writer,

13 scholar, historian, and public intellectual, and was

14 the author of many celebrated works, including ‘‘De15 mocracy’’, ‘‘The Education of Henry Adams’’, and

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

17 the Administrations of Jefferson and Madison’’.

18 (8) Both individually and collectively, the mem19 bers of this illustrious family have enriched the Na20 tion through their profound civic consciousness,

21 abiding belief in the perfectibility of the Nation’s de22 mocracy, and commitment to service and sacrifice

23 for the common good.

24 (9) Although the Congress has authorized the

25 establishment of commemorative works on Federal
5

•HR 1668 EH

1 lands in the District of Columbia honoring such cele2 brated former Presidents as George Washington,

3 Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, the Na4 tional Capital has no comparable memorial to former

5 President John Adams.

6 (10) In recognition of the 200th anniversary of

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

8 has come to correct this oversight so that future

9 generations of Americans will know and understand

10 the preeminent historical and lasting significance to

11 the Nation of his contributions and those of his fam12 ily.

13 (b) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COMMEMORATIVE

14 WORK.—The Adams Memorial Foundation may establish

15 a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of

16 Columbia and its environs to honor former President John

17 Adams, along with his wife Abigail Adams and former

18 President John Quincy Adams, and the family’s legacy of

19 public service.

20 (c) COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS FOR COMMEMO21 RATIVE WORKS.—The establishment of the commemora22 tive work shall be in accordance with the Commemorative

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

24 (d) USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS PROHIBITED.—Fed25 eral funds may not be used to pay any expense of the es-
6

•HR 1668 EH

1 tablishment of the commemorative work. The Adams Me2 morial Foundation shall be solely responsible for accept3 ance of contributions for, and payment of the expenses

4 of, the establishment of the commemorative work.

5 (e) DEPOSIT OF EXCESS FUNDS.—If, upon payment

6 of all expenses of the establishment of the commemorative

7 work (including the maintenance and preservation amount

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

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

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

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

12 the establishment of the commemorative work, the Adams

13 Memorial Foundation shall transmit the amount of the

14 balance to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit in

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

16 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

17 For purposes of this Act, the terms ‘‘commemorative

18 work’’ and ‘‘the District of Columbia and its environs’’

19 have the meanings given to such terms in section 2 of the

20 Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1002).

Passed the House of Representatives June 25, 2001.

Attest:

Clerk.