III 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 99 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2012 
Received 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol 
Visitor Center for a ceremony to unveil the marker which 
acknowledges the role that slave labor played in the 
construction of the United States Capitol. 
Whereas enslaved African-Americans provided labor essential 
to the construction of the United States Capitol; 
Whereas in 2005 Congress created the Slave Labor Task 
Force to study the role that enslaved African-Americans 
played in the construction of the Capitol and to make 
recommendations to Congress on how to commemorate 
their contribution; 
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HCON 99 RDS 
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; 
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; 
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HCON 99 RDS 
Whereas recognition of the contributions of enslaved African- 
Americans brings to all Americans an understanding of 
the continuing evolution of our representative democracy; 
Whereas in 2007 the Slave Labor Task Force recommended 
to Congress the creation of a marker commemorating the 
contributions of enslaved African-Americans in the con-
struction of the Capitol; and 
Whereas the marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Ameri-
cans who helped to build the Capitol reflects the charge 
of the Capitol Visitor Center to teach visitors about Con-
gress and its development: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), 
SECTION 1. USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR CEREMONY 
TO 
UNVEIL 
MARKER 
DEDICATED 
TO 
ENSLAVED 
AFRICAN-AMERICANS 
WHO 
HELPED BUILD THE CAPITOL. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Emancipation Hall in the 
Capitol Visitor Center is authorized to be used on Feb-
ruary 28, 2012, for a ceremony to unveil the marker which 
acknowledges the role that slave labor played in the con-
struction of the United States Capitol. 
(b) PREPARATIONS.—Physical preparations for the 
conduct of the ceremony described in subsection (a) shall 
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HCON 99 RDS 
be carried out in accordance with such conditions as may 
be prescribed by the Architect of the Capitol. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 9, 
2012. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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