[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 24 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 24

      To direct the Architect of the Capitol to place a marker in 
Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center which acknowledges the 
 role that slave labor played in the construction of the United States 
                    Capitol, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2009

 Mrs. Lincoln (for herself, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Chambliss) submitted 
    the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
                 Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
      To direct the Architect of the Capitol to place a marker in 
Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center which acknowledges the 
 role that slave labor played in the construction of the United States 
                    Capitol, and for other purposes.

    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Enslaved African-Americans provided labor essential to 
        the construction of the United States Capitol.
            (2) 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.
            (3) Enslaved African-Americans performed the backbreaking 
        work of quarrying the stone which comprised many of the floors, 
        walls, and columns of the Capitol.
            (4) Enslaved African-Americans also participated in other 
        facets of construction of the Capitol, including carpentry, 
        masonry, carting, rafting, roofing, plastering, glazing, 
        painting, and sawing.
            (5) 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.
            (6) Slave-quarried stones from the remnants of the original 
        Capitol walls can be found in Rock Creek Park in the District 
        of Columbia.
            (7) 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.
            (8) 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.
            (9) 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.
            (10) Recognition of the contributions of enslaved African-
        Americans brings to all Americans an understanding of the 
        continuing evolution of our representative democracy.
            (11) A marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Americans 
        who helped to build the Capitol will reflect the charge of the 
        Capitol Visitor Center to teach visitors about Congress and its 
        development.

SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF MARKER IN CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER TO ACKNOWLEDGE 
              ROLE OF SLAVE LABOR IN CONSTRUCTION OF CAPITOL.

    (a) Procurement and Placement of Marker.--The Architect of the 
Capitol, subject to the approval of the Committee on House 
Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Rules and Administration of the Senate, shall design, procure, and 
place in a prominent location in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol 
Visitor Center a marker which acknowledges the role that slave labor 
played in the construction of the United States Capitol.
    (b) Criteria for Design of Marker.--In developing the design for 
the marker required under subsection (a), the Architect of the Capitol 
shall--
            (1) take into consideration the recommendations developed 
        by the Slave Labor Task Force Working Group;
            (2) to the greatest extent practicable, ensure that the 
        marker includes stone which was quarried by slaves in the 
        construction of the Capitol; and
            (3) ensure that the marker includes a plaque or inscription 
        which describes the purpose of the marker.
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