[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9682-H9683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INSTALLATION OF PLAQUE COMMEMORATING SLAVE REBELLION ON ST. JOHN

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7496) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to install a 
plaque at the peak of Ram Head in the Virgin Islands National Park on 
St. John, United States Virgin Islands, to commemorate the slave 
rebellion that began on St. John in 1733.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7496

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

     SECTION 1. INSTALLATION OF PLAQUE COMMEMORATING SLAVE 
                   REBELLION ON ST. JOHN.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior 
     shall install, in an appropriate location in the area of the 
     Ram Head trail at the peak of Ram Head in the Virgin Islands 
     National Park on St. John, United States Virgin Islands, a 
     suitable plaque to commemorate the slave rebellion that began 
     on St. John on November 23, 1733.
       (b) Contents of Plaque.--The plaque installed under 
     subsection (a) shall include information regarding--
       (1) important facts about the slave rebellion that began on 
     St. John in 1733;
       (2) the collective suicide that occurred during the slave 
     rebellion in the vicinity of Ram Head on St. John in 1734; 
     and
       (3) the significance of the slave rebellion to the history 
     of St. John, the United States Virgin Islands, and the United 
     States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Obernolte) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1715

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7496, introduced by my 
colleague, Representative Stacey Plaskett.
  This bill will direct the Secretary of the Interior to install a 
plaque at the peak of Ram Head in the Virgin Islands National Park to 
commemorate the slave rebellion that began in St. John in 1733.
  The slave insurrection on St. John is the first time in which 
enslaved people successfully took control of a colony, and it served as 
a spark to later slave revolts that would take place. After half a year 
of fighting, opposition troops defeated the uprising in St. John.
  As a last cry for freedom, the last remaining slave rebels died by 
suicide by drowning themselves at Ram Head in a collective act of 
defiance. Installing a commemorative plaque in the Virgin Islands 
National Park will honor the sacrifices of the rebels and ensure that 
visitors who hike to the top of Ram Head learn and reflect on this 
powerful history.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Plaskett, for introducing this 
legislation, championing this bill on behalf of her constituents.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H9683]]

  Madam Speaker, H.R. 7496 would require the National Park Service to 
install a plaque on the Ram Head Trail in the Virgin Islands National 
Park recognizing a slave rebellion that began on St. John in 1733. I 
applaud Delegate Plaskett for leading this effort along with the 
support of Congressman Reschenthaler.
  In 1733, the island of St. John in Danish West Indies was occupied by 
roughly 200 European settlers and more than 1,000 African slaves, most 
of whom were starving following a major drought and a devastating 
hurricane.
  To quell disorder amongst the slaves, strict mandates were imposed 
that inflicted severe punishments against rebelling slaves.
  On November 23, 1733, a group of slaves took possession of a Danish 
fort while another group overtook plantations, resulting in rebel 
control of most of the island. Danish troops could not manage the 
revolt, and French troops came to aid, assisting in the capture and 
execution of the rebels. Rather than be captured, some rebels chose to 
instead commit collective suicide, involving 11 rebels whose bodies 
were found at the Ram Head rebel camp.
  The plaque authorized by H.R. 7496 would include important facts 
about this rebellion. Information about the tragic suicide that 
occurred during the rebellion, and the significance of the slave 
rebellion to the history of this island.
  The Ram Head Trail is a popular tourist destination, and the marker 
commemorating the 1733 slave rebellion will serve to educate the public 
about this heartbreaking event in world history and the freedom 
fighters who bravely took a stand against the evils of slavery.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 7496.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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