[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4964 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4964
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a memorial to
slavery, in the District of Columbia.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 19, 2002
Mr. Stearns (for himself, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. Armey, Mrs. Morella,
Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Pitts, and Mr.
Quinn) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
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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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Slave Memorial 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 economic benefit
would be derived from the import of slave labor and forthwith
became an active participant in the ``Middle Passage'' of
African slaves to its shores.
(3) Upon their arrival in North America, Africans 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 cultural 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
safeguard 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 continued struggles for
full recognition of citizenship and treatment with human
dignity, and there is inadequate presentation, preservation,
and recognition of the contributions of African Americans
within American society.
(10) There is a great need for building institutions and
monuments to promote cultural understanding 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 abolition 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 African 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 Columbia, 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) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that the memorial should be situated within the area that is
referred to in the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et
seq.) as Area I, and in proximity to the Lincoln Memorial.
(2) Determination.--The Secretary of the Interior and the
National Capital Memorial Commission shall determine a location
for the memorial by not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(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 enactment 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 Interior, in
coordination with the Director of the Smithsonian Institution,
may accept donations of any necessary funds from the Foundation
and other private sector sources to design, construct, and
maintain the memorial.
(2) Account in treasury.--The Secretary shall deposit
amounts that are accepted under this subsection into a separate
account in the Treasury established for such purpose. Amounts
deposited into the account shall be available for expenditure
by the Secretary without further appropriation to carry out
this Act.
SEC. 4. REPORTS.
(a) Periodic Reports.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, and each 6 months thereafter until the
submission of a final report under subsection (b), the Secretary of the
Interior shall transmit to the Congress a report on activities with
regard to the memorial.
(b) Final Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a
final report on activities with regard to the memorial, including the
recommended design of the memorial.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), there are authorized to
be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior such sums as may be
necessary for carrying out this Act.
(b) Limitation.--No sums may be appropriated to the Secretary for
the construction of the memorial unless at least one-half of the
estimated total cost of the construction of the memorial is donated
from private sources pursuant to section 3(d).
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