[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S587-S588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself and Mr. Roberts):
  S. 175. A bill to establish the Bleeding Kansas and Enduring Struggle 
for Freedom National Heritage Area, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I am proud to join with my colleague 
from the great State of Kansas, Senator Pat Roberts, and introduce the 
Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area Act. I appreciate the Senator's 
hard work and passion on this bill. Likewise, I commend Representative 
Jim Ryan who authored this bill in the House of Representatives who, 
like Senator Roberts and I, worked tirelessly to pass this bill last 
Congress. And finally, I would like to thank Senator Domenici, Chairman 
of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senator Thomas, 
Subcommittee Chair, National Parks, for working with me in the 108th 
Congress. Through their hard work and the work of their staff, the 
Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area Act passed the Senate. It is my 
hope that we will once again be able to see this bill pass the Senate 
but also pass the House of Representatives in the 109th Session.
  The great story of Kansas can be summed up in the, State motto, ``Ad 
Astra per Aspera,'' to the stars through difficulties. Though only a 
short phrase comprised of four words, the meaning and passion behind 
the Kansas State motto are as profound as they are descriptive of a 
State that though smaller than some, was a catalyst for racial equality 
in this Nation.
  From inception, Kansas was born in controversy--a controversy that 
helped to shape a nation and end the egregious practice of chattel 
slavery that brutalized an entire race of individuals in this country. 
I cannot think of a more noble or more important contribution provided 
to our Nation--though arguably it was one of the most turbulent and 
darkest hours of our history. Without this struggle however, the battle 
to end persecution and transform our country into a symbol of freedom 
and democracy throughout the world would not have been realized.
  Last year, 2004, marked the sesquicentennial of the signing of the 
Kansas-Nebraska bill which repealed the Missouri compromise, allowed 
States to enter into the Union with or without slavery. This piece of 
legislation, which was passed in May 1854, set the stage for what is 
now referred to as, ``Bleeding Kansas.'' During this time, our State, 
then a territory, was thrown into chaos with Kansans fighting 
passionately to ensure that the territory would inter the Union as a 
free State and not condone or legalize slavery in any capacity. At the 
end of a very difficult and bloody struggle, Kansas entered the Union 
as a free State and helped to spark the issue of slavery on a national 
level. However, Kansas' contributions to the realization of freedom in 
this Nation did not stop with the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
  Keeping true to our motto, to the stars through difficulties, Kansas 
opened up her arms to a newly freed people after the Civil War ended. 
Many African Americans looked to Kansas for solace and prosperity when 
the South was still an uncertain place. Perhaps one of the best 
examples of Ad Astra per Aspera was the founding of a town in Kansas by 
African Americans coming to our State to begin their life of freedom 
and prosperity.
  Founded in 1877, Nicodemus, which was named after a legendary slave 
who purchased his freedom, is the most recognized historically black 
town in Kansas. Nicodemus was established by a group of colonists from 
Lexington, KY, and grew to a population of 600 by 1879. However, 
Nicodemus is not the only Kansas contribution that shaped a more 
tolerant Nation. Kansas was also one of the first States to house an 
African American military regiment in the 1800s, the Buffalo Soldiers.
  The Buffalo Soldiers were, and still are, considered one of the most 
distinguished and revered African American military regiments in our 
Nation's history. One of those regiments, the 10th Cavalry, was 
stationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS. In July 1866, Congress passed 
legislation establishing two cavalry and four infantry regiments that 
were to be solely comprised of African Americans. The mounted regiments 
were the 9th and 10th Cavalries, soon nicknamed ``Buffalo Soldiers'' by 
the Cheyenne and Comanche tribes. Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first 
African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy in 
1877 and commanded the 10th Cavalry unit where he proved that African 
Americans possessed the quality of military leadership. Until the early 
1890s, the Buffalo Soldiers constituted 20 percent of all cavalry 
forces on the American frontier. Their invaluable service on the 
western frontier still remains one of the most exemplary services 
performed by a regiment in the U.S. Army.
  These are just a few examples of why I am pleased to join with my 
colleague from Kansas, Senator Pat Roberts, today and introduce the 
Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area Act, which will not only serve 
to educate Kansans but the Nation on the important contributions--and 
in many cases the sacrifices--made in order to establish this proud 
state. The creation of this heritage area will ensure that this legacy 
is not only commemorated but celebrated on a national level.
  Specifically, the Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area Act will 
designate 24 counties in Kansas as the ``Bleeding Kansas and the 
Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage Area.'' Each of these 
counties will be eligible to apply for the heritage area grants 
administered by the National Park Service.
  The heritage area will add to local economies within the State by 
increasing tourism and will encourage collaboration between interests 
of diverse units of government, businesses, tourism officials, private 
property owners, and nonprofit groups within the heritage area. 
Finally, the bill protects private property owners by requiring that

[[Page S588]]

they provide in writing consent to be included in any request before 
they are eligible to receive, Federal funds from the heritage area. The 
bill also authorizes $10,000,000 over a 10-year period to carry out 
this act and states that not more than $1,000,000 may be appropriated 
to the heritage area for any fiscal year.
  Kansas has much to be proud of in their history and it is vital that 
this history be shared on a national level. By establishing the 
Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage 
Area, we will ensure that this magnificent legacy lives on and serves 
as a stirring reminder of the sacrifices and triumphs that created this 
Nation--a Nation united in freedom for all people.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I am pleased to once again introduce, 
along with my distinguished colleague Senator Brownback, a bill 
designating the Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom 
National Heritage Area. This project, which we hope will receive the 
congressional recognition it deserves, has joined communities 
throughout eastern Kansas in an effort to document, preserve, and 
celebrate Kansas' significant role in the political struggle that led 
to the Civil War and in other historic struggles for equality that took 
place in our State.
  National Heritage Areas are places where natural, cultural, historic, 
and recreational resources combine to form complete and distinct 
landscape. The State of Kansas, which has a proud heritage and 
compelling story, will benefit from this national designation that 
helps preserve and celebrate America's defining landscapes. By 
enhancing and developing historic sites throughout eastern Kansas, we 
will ensure that the traditions that evolved there are preserved.
  During the Civil War, William Quantrill, the head of an infamous gang 
of Confederate sympathizers, led a raid on Lawrence, KS. Though far 
from the main campaigns, this massacre caused Bleeding Kansas to become 
a prominent symbol in the fight for the freedom of all people, and the 
territory would become a battleground over the question of slavery. 
After these attacks, the abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner delivered 
his famous speech called ``The Crime Against Kansas,'' in which he 
brought the escalating situation into sharper focus for the nation.
  Almost 100 years later, Kansas became the battleground once again, as 
Oliver L. Brown fought to prove that separate among the people of this 
great Nation is not equal. In fact, we will soon celebrate the 50th 
anniversary of the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court 
decision, which was a landmark victory in the civil rights movement. 
These are only two of the historic chapters that will make up this 
heritage area, marking an important era in our Nation.
  I commend the Lawrence City Commission, the Douglas County 
Commission, and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, who have worked 
diligently on this project for over 2 years. We have a great 
opportunity to pass this important piece of legislation during the 
109th Congress, and I encourage the Senate's swift consideration.
                                 ______