[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1891-1893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




PRESERVATION OF RECORDS OF SERVITUDE, EMANCIPATION, AND POST-CIVIL WAR 
                           RECONSTRUCTION ACT

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 390) to require the establishment of a national database in the 
National Archives to preserve records of servitude, emancipation, and 
post-Civil War reconstruction and to provide grants to State and local 
entities to establish similar local databases.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 390

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Preservation of Records of 
     Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL DATABASE.

       (a) In General.--The Archivist of the United States shall 
     preserve relevant records and establish, as part of the 
     National Archives, an electronically searchable national 
     database consisting of historic records of servitude, 
     emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction, including 
     the Southern Claims Commission Records, Records of the 
     Freedmen's Bank, Slave Impressments Records, Slave Payroll 
     Records, Slave Manifest, and others, contained within the 
     agencies and departments of the Federal Government to assist 
     African Americans and others in conducting genealogical and 
     historical research.
       (b) Maintenance.--The database established under this 
     section shall be maintained by the National Archives or an 
     entity within the National Archives designated by the 
     Archivist.

     SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE AND LOCAL 
                   DATABASES.

       (a) In General.--The National Historical Publications and 
     Records Commission of the National Archives shall provide 
     grants to States, colleges and universities, and genealogical 
     associations to preserve records and establish electronically 
     searchable databases consisting of local records of 
     servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction.
       (b) Maintenance.--The databases established using grants 
     provided under this section shall be maintained by 
     appropriate agencies or institutions designated by the 
     National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated--
       (1) $5,000,000 to implement section 2; and
       (2) $5,000,000 to provide grants under section 3.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
the bill, H.R. 390.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 390, which authorizes the National Archives 
to preserve historical documents relating to servitude, emancipation, 
and post-Civil War reconstruction. Introduced by my friend, 
Representative Lantos of California, the bill calls on the Archives to 
place these documents in a searchable electronic database for use in 
historical and genealogical research.
  As a cosponsor of H.R. 390 and chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee 
on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, I am pleased to 
see the measure presented for consideration by the House today. Under 
this legislation, grants will be made available to States, colleges and 
universities, and genealogical associations to preserve similar records 
in their possession and make them available electronically. The bill 
will for the first time make a wide range of historical documents 
relating to servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction 
easily accessible and searchable. This will vastly improve the ability 
of African Americans to research their lineage. It will also facilitate 
the efforts of historians performing research into this period of 
American history.
  An identical version of this bill was approved unanimously by the 
Committee on Government Reform last year. And as someone with a deep 
appreciation of African American and American history, I am honored to 
support its passage today.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

[[Page 1892]]

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 390, the Preservation of 
Records of Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction 
Act, legislation which would establish a grant program, as outlined 
just a moment ago by Mr. Clay.
  H.R. 390 would authorize the creation of a national database within 
the National Archives to include records of servitude, emancipation, 
and post-Civil War reconstruction held by Federal agencies. These 
records include: the Southern Claims Commission Records, Records of the 
Freedmen's Bank, Slave Impressment Records, Slave Payroll Records, and 
Slave Manifests.
  Many of these records are not organized, catalogued, or well 
protected from the elements. H.R. 390 will not only make these 
documents more accessible to the public but will preserve them as well. 
H.R. 390 continues the important preservation efforts begun under the 
Freedmen's Bureau Records Preservation Act of 2000. The creation of a 
searchable database will help African Americans conduct genealogical 
research and learn more about their families' history.
  In addition, the national database will help historians and others 
interested in the Civil War and post-Civil War eras to conduct research 
that promises to reveal more about the history and culture of the South 
and the African American experience. Similar records of servitude, 
emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction are held by local and 
State entities.
  H.R. 390 authorizes the National Archives to provide grants to 
States, universities, and genealogical associations to digitally 
preserve their records through the creation of searchable databases. 
The digital preservation of these important historical documents and 
improved accessibility to them will ensure that they are available to 
future generations of Americans.
  I think this is legislation that all my colleagues can support, and I 
urge support for H.R. 390.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the sponsor of this legislation, Representative Lantos.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank my dear friend, the 
distinguished chairman of the committee, for yielding me time and for 
his leadership on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, last week our Nation paused to remember and to recognize 
the extraordinary life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Today I rise in strong support of H.R. 390, the Preservation of Records 
of Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction Act, 
which will help eliminate a little-known and rarely recognized vestige 
of slavery. This important legislation, which passed the Government 
Reform Committee last year by a unanimous vote, will open the way for 
African Americans to trace their ancestry from the critical period 
immediately following the end of slavery in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, for most Americans, researching their genealogical 
history involves searching through various historical records, almost 
all of which have been properly archived as public historical 
documents. Unfortunately, African Americans face a unique challenge due 
to our Nation's history of discrimination and slavery. Instead of 
simply looking up wills, birth and death certificates, or other 
traditional genealogical research documents, African Americans are 
forced to identify the names of former slave owners and then hope that 
these owners kept accurate records of pertinent property tax and 
probate information.
  Compounding the difficulty of this problem, Mr. Speaker, is that many 
of these records of servitude and emancipation are frequently 
inaccessible, stored in farmhouses and schools throughout the South. 
Even when researchers are able to locate the records, they find them 
poorly catalogued and inadequately preserved from deterioration and 
decay.
  While some States and some localities have undertaken efforts to 
collect these documents, and they need to be commended for their 
endeavors, a national effort to preserve these important pieces of 
public and personal history is necessary to ensure that they are 
readily and easily accessible to all Americans.
  H.R. 390, my legislation, builds on the success of the Freedmen's 
Bureau Records Preservation Act, which Congress passed and the 
President signed into law 6 years ago. That law required the archivists 
of the United States to catalogue the genealogical and historical 
records into a searchable indexing system and was the first step toward 
ensuring easy access. Passing H.R. 390 is the next step necessary to 
complete this preservation project for our entire Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, my bill tackles the problems of poorly catalogued and 
inadequately preserved records in two ways. First, it will make sure 
that the records of servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War 
reconstruction currently being stored within the various agencies of 
the Federal Government will be properly preserved and accessible in a 
single electronic site. Second, the searchable index will allow 
individuals to access information in seconds rather than months or 
years to build their own personal histories.

                              {time}  1515

  Since many of these records are held in non-Federal public and 
private collections around the country, my legislation authorizes the 
National Archives to distribute grants to the States, academic 
institutions, and genealogical associations to locate, preserve, and 
establish on-line databases of these important records. These grants 
will ensure that families doing research in my home State of California 
or anywhere in the country will be able to find post-Civil War 
reconstruction items easily accessible in a single electronic site. The 
searchable index will allow individuals to access information in mere 
seconds.
  The Federal and local records covered by my legislation are not only 
of personal importance to the families involved, Mr. Speaker, they are 
historically significant to all of us. They document the reuniting of 
our Nation and the historic moment of transition for slaves from the 
status of property to citizens, a time when our country finally began 
to right a horrible moral wrong. We need to take the process another 
step now by ensuring that those records and the lessons they hold are 
preserved for all eternity.
  I want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis, both 
cosponsors of my legislation, for their continued support of this 
measure. I also want to thank my friend and colleague Elijah Cummings 
for all his efforts on this important measure. I urge all of my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense recognition that 
justice at long last must be made.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to commend the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for 
their work on this very important legislation. It has been an honor for 
me to manage this for the minority.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I urge support of H.R. 390, 
and yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, in closing I want to thank my good friend from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for his leadership on this issue. We appreciate 
it. I want to commend my good friend from California (Mr. Lantos) for 
sponsoring this bill that will catalog and preserve these records from 
a time long ago.
  Being a history enthusiast, I believe the adage that a people who 
don't know their history are doomed to repeat it, and I urge the House 
to pass the bill.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 390, the Preservation of Records of Servitude, Emancipation, and 
Post-Civil War Reconstruction Act. I support H.R. 390 because it will 
protect a vast amount of genealogical information from this period in 
our Nation's history. This bill authorizes the National Archives to do 
two things: (1) to use necessary resources to preserve, maintain and 
electronically catalogue these important records, and (2) to distribute 
grants to the States, academic institutions, and genealogical 
associations in order to preserve and establish

[[Page 1893]]

online databases of their own important local records.
  While most Americans can learn about their genealogy through already 
well-archived documents like certificates of birth, death, or marriage, 
African-Americans have more difficulty with this, due to our Nation's 
history of slavery and discrimination. African-Americans seeking 
information about their ancestors must instead turn to less well-
archived records such as documents written by former slave owners. 
These records are often not very accessible, disorganized, or in poor 
condition, and so it is important that we make every effort to 
adequately archive the familial records of so many of our Nations' 
citizens.
  This bill would be the first national effort to preserve and protect 
this important part of our nation's history, and I thank Mr. Lantos, 
the gentleman from California, for introducing it.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill, and I look 
forward to seeing it passed.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
strong support of the Preservation of Records of Servitude, 
Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction Act.
  The House of Representatives is truly a body of history. Each day we 
walk through the Capitol and stand where our Nation's first Members of 
Congress debated hundreds of years ago. Statues, plaques and paintings 
remind us of the past and inspire our future. In fact, every day 
history is recorded on the House floor through the records of our 
statements.
  We must not underestimate the importance of our Nation's past and our 
individual history. For many African Americans identifying their 
history and researching genealogy becomes challenging due to a lack of 
organized records. Many African Americans are left with piecing 
together records of their ancestors left from former slave owners or 
searching for information from the post-Civil War reconstruction. Many 
of these records are unorganized, inaccessible and quickly decaying. We 
need a national effort to preserve these pieces of public and personal 
history or to make them readily and easily accessible to all Americans.
  Under this bill the Federal Government will maintain an organized 
system for preserving the records of servitude, emancipation, and the 
post-Civil War. These records will include Southern Claims Commission 
Records, Records of the Freedmen's Bank, Slave Impressments Records, 
Slave Payroll Records, and Slave Manifests. This will go a long way 
towards preserving our past, and helping individuals discover their 
history as well.
  I urge my colleagues who everyday participate in this Nation's 
history to extend that dedication to preserving our past to vote for 
this important piece of legislation.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sarbanes). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 390.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those voting have responded in the affirmative.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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