To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue depicting Frederick Douglass from the District of Columbia and to provide for the permanent display of the statue in Emancipation Hall of the United States Capitol.
PL 112-174 (H.R.6336), enacted 09/20/2012

126 STAT. 1311 
PUBLIC LAW 112–174—SEPT. 20, 2012 
Public Law 112–174 
112th Congress 
An Act 
To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue depicting Frederick 
Douglass from the District of Columbia and to provide for the permanent display 
of the statue in Emancipation Hall of the United States Capitol. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Frederick Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Wash-
ington Bailey in Maryland in 1818, escaped from slavery and 
became a leading writer, orator, and publisher, and one of 
the Nation’s most influential advocates for abolitionism, 
women’s suffrage, and the equality of all people. 
(2) The contributions of Frederick Douglass over many 
decades were crucial to the abolition of slavery, the passage 
of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution 
of the United States, the support for women’s suffrage, and 
the advancement of African-Americans after the Civil War. 
(3) After living in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Frederick 
Douglass resided for 25 years in Rochester, New York, where 
he published and edited ‘‘The North Star’’, the leading African- 
American newspaper in the United States, and other publica-
tions. 
(4) Self-educated, Frederick Douglass wrote several influen-
tial books, including his best-selling first autobiography, ‘‘Nar-
rative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave’’, 
published in 1845. 
(5) Frederick Douglass worked tirelessly for the emanci-
pation of African-American slaves, was a pivotal figure in 
Underground Railroad activities, and was an inspiration to 
enslaved Americans who aspired to freedom. 
(6) As a well-known speaker in great demand, Frederick 
Douglass traveled widely, visiting countries such as England 
and Ireland, to spread the message of emancipation and equal 
rights. 
(7) Frederick Douglass was the only African-American to 
attend the Seneca Falls Convention, a women’s rights conven-
tion held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. 
(8) During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass recruited 
African-Americans to volunteer as soldiers for the Union Army, 
including 2 of his sons, who served nobly in the Fifty-Fourth 
Massachusetts Regiment. 
(9) In 1872, Frederick Douglass moved to Washington, 
DC, after a fire destroyed his home in Rochester, New York. 
Sept. 20, 2012 
[H.R. 6336] 
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126 STAT. 1312 
PUBLIC LAW 112–174—SEPT. 20, 2012 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 6336: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 
Sept. 10, considered and passed House. 
Sept. 12, considered and passed Senate. 
(10) Frederick Douglass was appointed as a United States 
Marshal in 1877 and was named Recorder of Deeds for the 
District of Columbia in 1881. 
(11) Frederick Douglass became the first African-American 
to receive a vote for nomination as President of the United 
States at a major party convention for the 1888 Republican 
National Convention. 
(12) From 1889 to 1891, Frederick Douglass served as 
minister-resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti. 
(13) Frederick Douglass was recognized around the world 
as one of the most important political activists in the history 
of the United States. 
(14) Frederick Douglass died in 1895 in Washington, DC 
and is buried in Rochester, New York. 
(15) Frederick Douglass’s achievements and influence on 
the history of the United States merit recognition in the United 
States Capitol. 
SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS FOR 
PLACEMENT IN EMANCIPATION HALL. 
(a) ACCEPTANCE.—Not later than 2 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Joint Committee on the Library 
shall accept from the District of Columbia the donation of a statue 
depicting Frederick Douglass, subject to the terms and conditions 
that the Joint Committee considers appropriate. 
(b) PLACEMENT.—The Joint Committee shall place the statue 
accepted under subsection (a) in a suitable permanent location 
in Emancipation Hall of the United States Capitol. 
Approved September 20, 2012. 
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