I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 196
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a memorial to slavery, 
in the District of Columbia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2003
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. QUINN, and Mr. MORAN of 
Virginia) 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) IN GENERAL.—The memorial shall be situ-
ated in a location that is—
(A) within the area that is referred to in 
the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C.
1001 et seq.) as Area 1 and in proximity to the 
Lincoln Memorial; and 
(B) recommended by the Secretary of the 
Interior and the National Capital Memorial 
Commission not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(2) 
COMPLIANCE
WITH
COMMEMORATIVE 
WORKS ACT.—This Act shall be treated as satisfying 
the authorization and location approval requirements 
of section 6 of the Commemorative Works Act (40 
U.S.C. 1006). 
(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