[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4581 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4581

  To authorize the Homeward Bound Foundation to establish the Middle 
                       Passage National Monument.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 2000

 Mrs. Christensen (for herself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Hilliard, Ms. 
 Carson, Mrs. Clayton, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson 
 of Texas, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Payne, Ms. Lee, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
    Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Clay, Mr. Owens, Mr. Cummings, Ms. 
Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Towns, 
Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. Waters, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Scott, Mr. Jefferson, 
     Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Ford, Ms. McKinney, Ms. 
Kilpatrick, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Fattah, Mrs. Meek of 
Florida, and Mr. Watt of North Carolina) introduced the following bill; 
            which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Homeward Bound Foundation to establish the Middle 
                       Passage National Monument.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) From the late 1400's to the late 1800's, there existed 
        a slave trade in which millions of people were transported from 
        Africa to the Americas, including South America, Central 
        America, the Caribbean, and North America.
            (2) The journey across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa 
        to the slave markets of the Americas lasted from a few weeks to 
        several months, and is commonly referred to as the ``Middle 
        Passage''.
            (3) Many of the slaves transported across the Middle 
        Passage became afflicted with diseases, including smallpox, eye 
        infections, gastrointestinal disorders, and body sores.
            (4) Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the slaves 
        transported across the Middle Passage died during the journey.
            (5) Many of these slaves committed suicide by refusing to 
        eat or by drowning themselves.
            (6) Because slave ship captains had an incentive to deliver 
        only salable men and women to the slave markets, these captains 
        sometimes committed mass murders of Africans at sea.

SEC. 2. MIDDLE PASSAGE NATIONAL MONUMENT.

    (a) Monument Authorized.--The Homeward Bound Foundation (a 
nonprofit corporation established under the laws of the District of 
Columbia) is authorized to establish a monument on Federal land in the 
District of Columbia or its environs to honor the millions of Africans 
who died in the Middle Passage en route to the Americas and at the 
hands of transatlantic slave traders between the 15th and 19th 
centuries. The monument shall be known as the ``Middle Passage National 
Monument''.
    (b) Compliance With Standards for Commemorative Works.--The 
establishment of the monument shall be carried out in accordance with 
the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).
    (c) Payment of Expenses.--The Homeward Bound Foundation shall be 
solely responsible for acceptance of contributions for, and payment of 
the expenses of, the establishment of the monument. No Federal funds 
may be used to pay any expense of the establishment of the monument.
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