I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2978 
To require the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Sesquicenten-
nial Anniversary of the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the 
United States Constitution, which officially marked the abolishment of 
slavery in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 8, 2015 
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. SHIMKUS, Ms. BASS, Mrs. 
BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BRADY of Penn-
sylvania, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. 
CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 
CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 
CUMMINGS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. 
FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. HONDA, 
Ms. JENKINS of Kansas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. 
KIRKPATRICK, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. 
LEWIS, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, 
Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 
MOORE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. 
RANGEL, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SMITH of 
Washington, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, and Mrs. BUSTOS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, 
and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the adoption of 
the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Con-
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stitution, which officially marked the abolishment of slav-
ery in the United States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Thirteenth Amend-
ment Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The economic contributions of enslaved Af-
rican-Americans to the American economy between 
1691 and 1860 were immeasurable. This labor force 
was used to build the foundations upon which Amer-
ica stands today. 
(2) From the 16th through the 19th centuries, 
most colonial economies in the Americas were de-
pendent on human-trafficking and the use of 
enslaved African labor for their survival. This in-
cluded the North American mercantile and shipping 
sectors that were dependent on slave-produced cot-
ton, rice, sugar and indigo, and the profits derived 
from triangular trade with the West Indies, Africa, 
and Europe. 
(3) Enslaved Africans in the United States 
were also recognized as an important element in the 
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political and economic capital in the Nation’s polit-
ical economy. 
(4) Over the course of 246 years, slaves con-
tributed an estimated 605 billion hours of forced 
free labor, the gain from which provided ‘‘seed cap-
ital’’ for the American economy, helped finance the 
birth of American finance and industrial sectors, 
contributed to the growth of most of the ‘‘Fortune 
500’’ companies, and ultimately assisted the Nation 
in financing both world wars. 
(5) During the Civil War, after Union forces re-
pelled a Confederate invasion at the battle of Antie-
tam in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the 
Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all 
slaves in States then in rebellion would be ‘‘forever 
free’’ as of January 1, 1863. By his action, Lincoln 
added a new and revolutionary dimension to the Na-
tion’s war aims: from being a conflict to preserve the 
Union, the Civil War grew to be a crusade to end 
Black slavery and fulfill the promise of the Declara-
tion of Independence. 
(6) In the spring of 1864, Charles Sumner in-
troduced an anti-slavery amendment in the Senate, 
much like the amendments that were introduced in 
the House by Representatives James Ashley and 
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James Wilson in December of 1863, which declared 
all persons as equal, prohibited the slavery, and 
granted Congress the power to enforce these provi-
sions. After extensive debate, the 13th Amendment 
was formed from this proposal, with the omission of 
the declaration of equality of all persons, and passed 
the Senate on April 8, 1864, by a vote of 38–6. 
(7) Debates between abolitionists and sup-
porters of slavery focused on the moral issue of slav-
ery and various interpretations of ‘‘natural law’’. 
Representative John Farnsworth of Illinois stated 
that ‘‘the old fathers who made the constitution be-
lieved that slavery was at war with the rights of 
human nature’’, and pointed out the contradiction 
between the existence of inalienable rights and the 
institution of slavery. Some members within the Re-
publican Party, such as Charles Sumner, sought an 
interpretation of the Constitution that rejected slav-
ery as incompatible with moral law. 
(8) President Lincoln took an active role in pro-
moting the 13th Amendment in Congress. He en-
sured that the Republican Party’s 1864 election 
platform included a provision supporting a constitu-
tional amendment to ‘‘terminate and forever prohibit 
the existence of Slavery’’. His efforts were met with 
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success when the House passed the bill on January 
31, 1865, with a vote of 119–56. 
(9) On February 1, 1865, Illinois became the 
first State to ratify the proposed 13th Amendment; 
it was joined by 17 other States by the end of the 
month. Georgia ratified on December 6, 1865, be-
coming the 27th of 36 States to approve the Amend-
ment, thus achieving the constitutional requirement 
that it be ratified by three-fourths of the States. 
Secretary of State William Seward declared the 13th 
Amendment to be part of the Constitution on De-
cember 18. 
(10) The Smithsonian National Museum of Af-
rican American History and Culture (hereafter re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘NMAAHC’’) was es-
tablished by an Act of Congress in 2003, in Public 
Law 108–184. 
(11) It is fitting that the NMAAHC receive the 
surcharges from the sale of coins issued under this 
Act because the Museum is devoted to the docu-
mentation of African-American life, and, among 
other areas, encompasses the period of slavery and 
the era of Reconstruction. 
(12) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a 
commemorative coin, which would have no net cost 
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to the taxpayers, would raise valuable funding to 
supplement the endowment and educational outreach 
funds of the NMAAHC. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas-
ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
shall mint and issue the following coins in commemoration 
of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the passage of the 
13th Amendment: 
(1) $50 BI-METALLIC
PLATINUM
AND
GOLD 
COINS.—Not more than 250,000 $50 coins, which 
shall— 
(A) have a weight, diameter, and thickness 
determined by the Secretary; and 
(B) contain platinum and .9167 pure gold. 
(2) $20 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 250,000 
$20 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 33.931 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; 
and 
(C) contain .900 pure gold. 
(3) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 
$1 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 31.103 grams; 
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(B) have a diameter of 40.6 millimeters; 
and 
(C) contain .999 fine silver. 
(b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 
Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 
title 31, United States Code. 
(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For the purposes of sec-
tions 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all 
coins minted under this Act shall be considered to be nu-
mismatic items. 
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The design of the coins minted 
under this Act shall be emblematic of the Thirteenth 
Amendment and the abolishment of slavery in America. 
(b) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin 
minted under this Act there shall be— 
(1) a designation of the value of the coin; 
(2) an inscription of the year ‘‘1865–2015’’; 
and 
(3) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In 
God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and 
‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 
(c) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 
under this Act— 
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(1) shall be based on the economic contribu-
tions of slavery, and include images of the pathway 
from slavery to freedom; 
(2) may include, on the $20 coins, that the de-
sign elements be in high relief; 
(3) may include, on the $50 coins— 
(A) on the obverse, an illustration of Co-
lumbia or similar figure representing Liberty, 
the female representation of America; and 
(B) on the reverse, a single eagle, and a 
set of stars on one or both sides; 
(4) shall be selected by the Secretary after con-
sultation with the Commission of Fine Arts; and 
(5) shall be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 
Advisory Committee. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 
(b) PERIOD OF ISSUANCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may issue 
coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 
period beginning on January 1 of the issuance year, 
except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such 
coins, without issuance, before such date. 
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(2) ISSUANCE YEAR DEFINED.—For purposes 
of this subsection, the term ‘‘issuance year’’ means 
the first calendar year, after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, with respect to which the Secretary 
determines, as of January 1 of such year, that there 
are less than 2 commemorative coin programs au-
thorized to be issued during such year. 
(c) SESQUICENTENNIAL DATES TO BE THE ONLY 
DATES.—Notwithstanding section 5112(d)(1) of title 31, 
United States Code, coins minted under this Act shall not 
have an inscription of the year of minting or issuance. 
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 
(a) SALES PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 
shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 
of— 
(1) the face value of the coins; 
(2) the surcharge required under section 7(a) 
with respect to such coins; and 
(3) the cost of designing and issuing such coins 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 
overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 
(b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 
sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 
discount. 
(c) PREPAID ORDERS AT A DISCOUNT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 
prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 
before the issuance of such coins. 
(2) DISCOUNT.—Sales prices with respect to 
prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a 
reasonable discount. 
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 
(a) SURCHARGE REQUIRED.—All sales of coins under 
this Act shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin. 
(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 
title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 
the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 
shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Smithso-
nian National Museum of African American History and 
Culture to carry out the purposes of the museum, which 
goes beyond simply telling the history of African-Ameri-
cans, creating an opportunity for anyone who cares about 
African-American Culture a place to explore, learn, and 
revel in the rich history of African-American Culture. 
(c) AUDITS.—The Smithsonian National Museum of 
African American History and Culture shall be subject to 
the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, 
United States Code, with regard to the amounts received 
under subsection (b). 
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