H. Con. Res. 135 
Agreed to July 10, 2009
One Hundred Eleventh Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE FIRST SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 
the sixth day of January, two thousand and nine 
Concurrent Resolution 
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 Cap-
itol’’ documents the role of slave labor in the construction of 
the Capitol; 
Whereas enslaved African-Americans performed the backbreaking 
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 carpentry, 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 deci-
phered 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-Ameri-
cans brings to all Americans an understanding of the continuing 
evolution of our representative democracy; and 
Whereas a marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Americans 
who helped to build the Capitol will reflect the 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 concur-
ring),
H. Con. Res. 135—2 
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 Administration of the Senate, shall design, procure, 
and place in a prominent location in Emancipation Hall in the 
Capitol 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 developing the design 
for the marker required under subsection (a), the Architect of the 
Capitol— 
(1) shall take into consideration the recommendations 
developed by the Slave Labor Task Force Working Group; 
(2) shall, to the greatest extent practicable, ensure that 
the marker includes stone which was quarried by slaves in 
the construction of the Capitol; and 
(3) shall ensure that the marker includes a plaque or 
inscription which describes the purpose of the marker. 
Attest: 
Clerk of the House of Representatives. 
Attest: 
Secretary of the Senate.