I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4964
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a memorial to slavery,
in the District of Columbia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 19, 2002
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr. ARMEY, Mrs. MORELLA,
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. PITTS, and Mr.
QUINN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Resources
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a
memorial to slavery, in the District of Columbia.
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 ‘‘National Slave Memo-
rial Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Millions of Africans and their descendants
were enslaved in the United States and the 13
American colonies in the period 1619 through 1865.
(2) The American Colonies determined that eco-
nomic benefit would be derived from the import of
slave labor and forthwith became an active partici-
pant in the ‘‘Middle Passage’’ of African slaves to
its shores.
(3) Upon their arrival in North America, Afri-
cans were considered chattel and thereby denied the
privileges granted to other immigrants.
(4) The agricultural resources of any nation are
the backbone of its subsistence and for over 250
years, millions of unnamed African and American-
born Black men, women, and children provided the
free labor that cultivated the fields from which
Americans ate and were clothed, which allowed the
dominant population to secure other interests.
(5) Slavery was a grave injustice that caused
African Americans to suffer enormous damages and
losses, both material and intangible, including the
loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of
careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss
of income and opportunity.
(6) Slavery in the United States denied African
Americans the fruits of their own labor and was an
immoral and inhumane deprivation of life, liberty,
the pursuit of happiness, citizenship rights, and cul-
tural heritage.
(7) Although the achievements of African
Americans in overcoming the evils of slavery stand
as a source of tremendous inspiration, the successes
of slaves and their descendants do not overwrite the
failure of the Nation to grant all Americans their
birthright of equality and the civil rights that safe-
guard freedom.
(8) Many African American slaves fought as
valiant patriots in the wars that helped to preserve
our national freedoms, knowing they would never be
privileged to partake of the freedoms for which they
fought.
(9) African American art, history, and culture
reflect experiences of slavery and freedom, and con-
tinued struggles for full recognition of citizenship
and treatment with human dignity, and there is in-
adequate presentation, preservation, and recognition
of the contributions of African Americans within
American society.
(10) There is a great need for building institu-
tions and monuments to promote cultural under-
standing of African American heritage and further
enhance racial harmony.
(11) It is proper and timely for the Congress to
recognize June 19, 1865, the historic day when the
last group of slaves were informed of their freedom,
to acknowledge the historic significance of the aboli-
tion of slavery, to express deep regret to African
Americans, and to support reconciliation efforts.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL SLAVE MEMORIAL.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The National Foundation for Af-
rican American Heritage (in this Act referred to as the
‘‘Foundation’’), in consultation with the Secretary of the
Interior, is authorized to establish, in the District of Co-
lumbia, a memorial to slavery—
(1) to acknowledge the fundamental injustice,
cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the
United States and the 13 American Colonies; and
(2) to honor the nameless and forgotten men,
women, and children who have gone unrecognized
for their undeniable and weighty contribution to the
United States.
(b) LOCATION.—
(1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of
the Congress that the memorial should be situated
within the area that is referred to in the Commemo-
rative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) as Area
I, and in proximity to the Lincoln Memorial.
(2) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary of the In-
terior and the National Capital Memorial Commis-
sion shall determine a location for the memorial by
not later than 6 months after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(c) DESIGN.—The Foundation, in consultation with
the Secretary of the Interior, and the National Capital
Memorial Commission shall—
(1) not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, begin soliciting proposals for
the design of the memorial from architects; and
(2) not later than 2 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act, select a design for the memorial
from the proposals submitted to the Secretary.
(d) FUNDING.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior, in coordination with the Director of the Smith-
sonian Institution, may accept donations of any nec-
essary funds from the Foundation and other private
sector sources to design, construct, and maintain the
memorial.
(2) ACCOUNT
IN
TREASURY.—The Secretary
shall deposit amounts that are accepted under this
subsection into a separate account in the Treasury
established for such purpose. Amounts deposited
into the account shall be available for expenditure by
the Secretary without further appropriation to carry
out this Act.
SEC. 4. REPORTS.
(a) PERIODIC REPORTS.—Not later than 6 months
after the date of enactment of this Act, and each 6 months
thereafter until the submission of a final report under sub-
section (b), the Secretary of the Interior shall transmit
to the Congress a report on activities with regard to the
memorial.
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit
to the Congress a final report on activities with regard
to the memorial, including the recommended design of the
memorial.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), there
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the
Interior such sums as may be necessary for carrying out
this Act.
(b) LIMITATION.—No sums may be appropriated to
the Secretary for the construction of the memorial unless
at least one-half of the estimated total cost of the con-
struction of the memorial is donated from private sources
pursuant to section 3(d).
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