[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8717-H8720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    AUTHORIZING MEMORIAL AND GARDENS IN HONOR AND COMMEMORATION OF 
                           FREDERICK DOUGLASS

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5331) to authorize the Frederick Douglass Gardens, Inc., to 
establish a memorial and gardens on Department of the Interior lands in 
the District of Columbia or its environs in honor and commemoration of 
Frederick Douglass.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5331

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

     SECTION 1. MEMORIAL AND GARDENS TO HONOR AND COMMEMORATE 
                   FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

       (a) Memorial and Gardens Authorized.--The Frederick 
     Douglass Gardens, Inc., is authorized to establish a memorial 
     and gardens on lands under the administrative jurisdiction of 
     the Secretary of the Interior in the District of Columbia or 
     its environs in honor and commemoration of Frederick 
     Douglass.
       (b) Compliance With Standards for Commemorative Works.--The 
     establishment of the Frederick Douglass memorial and gardens 
     shall be in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act (40 
     U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).
       (c) Payment of Expenses.--The Frederick Douglass Gardens, 
     Inc., shall be solely responsible for acceptance of 
     contributions for, and payment of the expenses of, the 
     establishment of the memorial and gardens. No Federal funds 
     may be used to pay any expense of the establishment of the 
     memorial and gardens.
       (d) Deposit of Excess Funds.--If, upon payment of all 
     expenses of the establishment of the memorial and gardens 
     (including the maintenance and preservation amount required 
     under section 8(b) of the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 
     1008(b)), or upon expiration of the authority for the 
     memorial and gardens under section 10(b) of such Act (40 
     U.S.C. 1010(b)), there remains a balance of funds received 
     for the establishment of the memorial and gardens, Frederick 
     Douglass Gardens, Inc., shall transmit the amount of the 
     balance to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit in the 
     account provided for in section 8(b)(1) of such Act (40 
     U.S.C. 1008(b)(1)).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.

[[Page H8718]]

Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5331 is a bipartisan bill that was introduced by 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. Speaker, Frederick Douglass was one of the most prominent leaders 
of the 19th century abolitionist movement. Born into slavery in eastern 
Maryland in 1818, Douglass escaped to the North as a young man where he 
became a world-renowned defender of human rights and eloquent orator, 
and later a Federal ambassador and advisor to several Presidents. 
Frederick Douglass was a powerful voice for human rights during the 
important period of American history, and is still revered today for 
his contributions against racial injustice.
  H.R. 5331 authorizes the Frederick Douglass Gardens, Inc., a 
nonprofit organization, in partnership with the National Park Service, 
to establish a memorial and gardens in the District of Columbia or its 
environs in honor and commemoration of Frederick Douglass. Although not 
certain, the preferred site would be in the D.C. area, east of the 
Anacostia River, where Douglass spent the last 20 years of his life.
  The Douglass memorial will comply with the Commemorative Works Act, 
and no Federal funds may be spent for any expense of the establishment 
of the memorial and gardens. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 5331.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis), who is the chief sponsor of this legislation. I 
am also listed as an original cosponsor of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5331 authorizes the establishment of a memorial and 
gardens in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor and 
commemorate the life and achievements of Frederick Douglass. Frederick 
Douglass was the Nation's leading 19th century African American 
spokesman. A gifted writer and speaker, he was a key figure in the 
abolitionist movement. Because of this historic significance, the 
National Park Service administers the Frederick Douglass national 
historic site currently now in Washington, D.C.
  Mr. Speaker, we are supportive of this measure, and I want to commend 
again my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois, for his leadership 
in sponsoring this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to personally thank the gentleman 
from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the ranking member for moving this 
expeditiously, and I want to join my colleagues in urging the passage 
of H.R. 5331, which establishes the Frederick Douglass National 
Memorial Gardens within the District of Columbia.
  For years now, many people have asked about the legacy of Frederick 
Douglass. Certainly it lives on through his family, especially his 
great great grandson, Frederick Douglass, IV, who I had the pleasure of 
meeting last week, and it also lives on within each of us because 
Frederick Douglass bestowed upon us an awesome responsibility to choose 
the harder right over the easier wrong. He freed himself from slavery 
and went on to advise President Lincoln, and served as an inspiration 
to those who yearned to breathe free.
  Earlier today, the House passed legislation to appropriate funds for 
the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library to be built in Springfield, 
Illinois. I think that President Lincoln would be pleased that we would 
honor another hero of the common man by passing this bill to establish 
the Frederick Douglass National Memorial and Gardens.
  Like President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass stands as a reminder of a 
time when our Nation faced its greatest peril. Through the strength of 
their resolve and the millions of others who had tasted freedom, our 
Nation survived and flourished. There are still many issues and 
problems facing us today, but the foundation they built for us stands 
strong and allows us the opportunity to meet our challenges together.
  Frederick Douglass paved the way for us to better understand the true 
meaning of the statement that all men are created equal. His legacy 
lives in each of us, and with the memorial gardens we will ensure that 
his legacy lives among us as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis), for his forethought in bringing this legislation to the floor, 
and I want to thank him for bringing me into the fold and allowing me 
to help him cosponsor this legislation. I also want to thank him for 
his leadership.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank the 
gentleman from American Samoa for yielding me this time. I also want to 
thank the ranking member of the subcommittee not only for his diligence 
but also for his sensitivity in helping to move this legislation 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be a principal sponsor of this 
legislation to honor the renowned 19th century abolitionist leader 
Frederick Douglass with the National Memorial and Gardens in the 
Nation's capitol. Without question, Frederick Douglass is an American 
hero deserving of such honor.
  During the course of his remarkable life, Frederick Douglass freed 
himself from slavery and became internationally renowned for his 
eloquence in the cause of individual liberty and human rights. Douglass 
is rightfully regarded as the true father of the civil rights in 
America and one of profound intellectual thought.
  Frederick Douglass published the North Star and Frederick Douglass' 
Paper, which spread news of the abolitionist movement. His piercing 
commentary earned him a role as a trusted advisor to President Abraham 
Lincoln and other American Presidents as the Nation struggled to make 
good on the promise of emancipation.
  Breaking yet another racial barrier, in 1877, Frederick Douglass 
moved to a house on a hill, Cedar Hill, he called it, in the Anacostia 
neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where he could look down on the 
Nation's most historic monuments from the sanctity of his garden.
  From his offices in Anacostia in the late 19th century, he published 
the New National Era, a beacon for a reformed, racially integrated 
Nation which was to be published, in his words, ``in the interest of 
the colored people of America; not as a separate class, but as a part 
of the whole people,'' the American people.
  He represented the United States as a foreign diplomat in both Haiti 
and the Dominican Republic and also served as a member of the Howard 
University Board of Directors. He resided in Anacostia until his death 
in 1895, and is remembered by local schoolchildren to this date as the 
``Sage of Anacostia.''
  In a speech for which he is perhaps most well-known, Frederick 
Douglass deplored how little democratic ideals had yet extended to his 
people. By building a national memorial and gardens to Douglass in the 
Nation's capitol, in the sight line of the U.S. Capitol, we 
demonstrate that his voice was heard.

  America is not finished fighting for a 4th of July that includes all 
people. By surrounding the memorial with a beautiful garden, we pay 
tribute to the contemplative side of the man that fed his public 
passion. We remember a man who understood rightly the nature of true 
power. He knew the value of power vested in a ``moral majority of 
one.'' To quote his contemporary, Thoreau, ``And he wielded the power 
of personal example as his weapon of choice in the greatest moral 
struggle of modern times.''
  The outcome of that struggle could be different if not for the 
looming presence of Douglass, a man who Langston Hughes said quite 
simply, ``is not dead,'' and we know what he meant. It would be 
inappropriate to build a passive memorial of silent, motionless stone. 
Our most fitting tribute to Douglass is a memorial that will include in 
its presentation the living,

[[Page H8719]]

breathing lives grown out of his life, lives fleshing Douglass' dreams 
of liberty and inspiring others to manifest the personal qualities of 
Douglass the man: Integrity, courage, passion, a love for liberty and 
justice, and a commitment to intellectual excellence.
  As a passionate defender of the best of American ideals, Frederick 
Douglass remains a powerful symbol for our times and a goad to constant 
vigilance. Freedom is not free, and we would do well to provide a 
reminder to our children that, as Douglass would say, struggle, 
struggle, strife and pain are the prerequisites for change. And if 
there is no struggle, there can be no progress.
  Mr. Speaker, this moment would not be possible if it were not for 
people like those in the Anacostia Garden Club; my colleagues, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Talent), and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. 
Norton); who all were very instrumental in helping to shape this 
legislation and bring it to the floor. I thank them for joining as 
original cosponsors.
  Also I thank the Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert); 
the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the ranking member; the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), the subcommittee chairman; the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen); and the ranking member, the gentleman 
from Puerto Rico (Mr. Romero-Barcelo) for their help in getting this 
matter to the floor.
  Finally, I urge all my colleagues to join with us in passing this 
legislation, not just for Anacostia or Frederick Douglass, IV, but for 
the entire Nation and for the entire world to see.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this effort to pay 
tribute to a truly, truly great American, Frederick Douglass.
  Frederick Douglass has been an inspiration to me throughout my adult 
life. Let me say that Frederick Douglass was one of the truly great 
orators in American history, and I have read so much about him in the 
past. I, of course, was a speech writer for President Reagan, and when 
I read about Frederick Douglass and how he moved people and changed 
history with his passion, with his moral passion, I just could not help 
but admire him so.
  And, of course, he was also a gifted writer, and I am a former 
journalist, and I certainly admire the fact that we have a great orator 
and a gifted writer who did what? He helped save America from a moral 
sin. He helped cleanse America. He was a freedom fighter. He was a 
human rights advocate when the freedom fighters and the human rights 
advocates needed to work on the United States of America because we 
needed cleansing from our horrible institution of slavery.
  So I am happy to join in this tribute to Frederick Douglass.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining on 
this side of the aisle?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The gentleman from American 
Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) has 13 minutes remaining.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and I also do want to thank 
the gentleman from Illinois for his most eloquent statement about this 
great American leader.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from American Samoa 
for yielding me this time and for his work in facilitating this bill to 
the floor so soon after it was introduced. I also thank the gentleman 
from Utah (Mr. Hansen), who has worked with me on similar bills and 
without whom this bill would certainly not be here so promptly.
  I am particularly indebted to my good friends, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), 
whose leadership has been central to this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, on any list of the 10 greatest Americans of all time 
Frederick Douglass' name would probably appear. A man of multiple 
talents and great principle.
  Of course, he is known for many on the one hand as the great 
abolitionist. That is his national-international reputation. Those of 
us in the District of Columbia call him the Sage of Anacostia, 
Anacostia and southeast Washington. This much seems clear: Frederick 
Douglass was the most important black man of the 19th century, just as 
Martin Luther King is surely the most important black man of the 20th 
Century.
  There are two important differences, though. First, a memorial for 
Martin Luther King, Jr. is about to come forward on the mall. We are 
very close to that now. A mall site has been approved, the memorial 
itself has been approved, yet there is none for Douglass anywhere in 
the Nation's capitol.
  And, secondly, we do not seek a place for Douglass on the mall. To be 
sure, Douglass deserves a national memorial wherever the greats are 
sited, but there has been great sensitivity in thinking through where 
this memorial should sit.

                              {time}  2015

  I thank the original cosponsors with whom I have cosponsored this 
bill, because, in a very real sense, Douglass belongs with us in the 
District of Columbia.
  Now, the National Park Service maintains a very interesting, 
wonderfully educational home, the home he called Cedar Hill in 
Southeast, in Anacostia. If Members have not been there, it is a place 
you must not avoid. They have set that home up exactly as Douglass left 
it. It is a great and wonderful mansion that he purchased in historic 
Anacostia.
  It is also in historic Anacostia where the memorial itself belongs, 
not on the overcrowded mall where with all our hubris we all seek to 
crowd but in Anacostia, in Southeast, where Douglass lived, where he 
wrote, and from where he often rode on horseback and even walked to 
Capitol Hill. He held every conceivable position in the District, U.S. 
marshal, board of Howard University, recorder of deeds for the District 
of Columbia. He was a man for all seasons and all nations and he was a 
man of the District of Columbia. To be sure, a national and 
international hero and diplomat, but above all, a man of this town.
  So it stands to reason that it would be a local group in Anacostia 
who wishes to raise the funds, working with the National Park Service, 
for this memorial, of course, with no funds to come from the United 
States Government.
  One of the most appealing aspects of the notion of this memorial is 
that it is a memorial and gardens, and the sponsor is the Frederick 
Douglass Gardens. What a wonderful idea, an idea that did not come from 
us but from the community which has thought about Douglass and his 
life, how he lived that life, close to the city, close to nature. 
Supporters, of course, include not only the Frederick Douglass 
Institute, Frederick Douglass, IV himself, a man who looks strikingly 
like his great great grandfather, I might add, but also the Anacostia 
Historical Society and the Anacostia Garden Club; residents of the 
District of Columbia who studied his life and try to live by his 
principles.
  The preferred site is even more wonderful. Again, it is not some 
grand site in the middle of the most important part of the memorial, 
though heaven knows Douglass would deserve such a site were it 
appropriate in our sight, but it would be, we hope, on Poplar Point.
  Where is Poplar Point? Poplar Point is a discarded site where the 
Architect of the Capitol maintained his greenhouse. There is nothing 
there now. We have moved the greenhouse. We would like to reclaim it 
and integrate it as a memorial grove to be kept by the Park Service 
with some appropriate memorial to the great Frederick Douglass in the 
gardens, gardens so that people can come not just to watch whatever we 
put there but to think about his life, to think about where he lived, 
to think about what Douglass stood for.
  I do believe this is the way to do a memorial, Mr. Speaker, at least 
for this man. It is, as well, a way to spread out the memorials to 
other historic parts of the District. We all somehow see ourselves 
close to the Capitol, waving to history. You cannot do it. You cannot 
fill it up with ourselves. You cannot fill it up with our favorite 
heroes. Yet much of the District is historic. Not far from the Capitol 
is where the great historic figures like George Washington and Abraham 
Lincoln

[[Page H8720]]

spent their time, not in this plot of land but in the wonderful plots 
surrounding the District. That is where Douglass belongs. That is where 
we want a memorial to him, in another historic part of the District, 
historic old Anacostia.
  We hope it will prove a perfect precedent for memorials for other 
great men and women. This was a perfect idea. I thank the original 
cosponsors, and I thank my own constituents here in Washington for 
giving us an idea that I hope will be repeated to honor great men and 
women like Frederick Douglass.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia for an excellent presentation concerning her 
support of this legislation. Again I urge my colleagues to support this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am also honored to be a part of honoring this great American. If I 
may be a wee bit political, the gentleman from California tells me he 
was one of the founders of the Republican Party.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5331.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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