[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 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

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

                            S. Con. Res. 24

       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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