III 
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; 
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Whereas enslaved African-Americans performed the back-
breaking 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 car-
pentry, 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-Ameri-
cans who helped to build the Capitol will reflect the 
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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 Admin-
istration of the Senate, shall design, procure, and place 
in a prominent location in Emancipation Hall in the Cap-
itol 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 devel-
oping the design for the marker required under subsection 
(a), the Architect of the Capitol— 
(1) shall take into consideration the rec-
ommendations developed by the Slave Labor Task 
Force Working Group; 
(2) shall, to the greatest extent practicable, en-
sure that the marker includes stone which was quar-
ried by slaves in the construction of the Capitol; and 
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(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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