[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7378 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7378
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Frederick Douglass
in recognition of his contributions to the cause of freedom, human
rights, and the abolition of slavery in the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 15, 2024
Mr. Ivey (for himself, Mr. Harris, Ms. Adams, Mr. Armstrong, Ms.
Barragan, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Brown, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter
of Louisiana, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Chu, Ms. Clarke of New
York, Mr. Correa, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Escobar, Mr.
Espaillat, Mr. Evans, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Goldman of New
York, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Hoyer, Ms.
Jackson Lee, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Khanna,
Mr. Kim of New Jersey, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Lawler, Ms. Lee of California,
Ms. McClellan, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Mullin, Mrs.
Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Pressley,
Mr. Raskin, Mr. Ruppersberger, Ms. Salazar, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Sanchez,
Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Sewell, Mr.
Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib,
Mr. Trone, Mr. Vargas, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Williams of Georgia,
Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Ms. Davids of Kansas) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Frederick Douglass
in recognition of his contributions to the cause of freedom, human
rights, and the abolition of slavery in the United States.
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 ``Frederick Douglass Congressional
Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Frederick Douglass overcame the harrowing circumstances
of slavery to become one of America's most prominent and
influential figures as an abolitionist, journalist, and
activist. He used his voice and influence to advocate for the
end of slavery, the advancement of civil rights, and the right
of black men to vote.
(2) Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in February
1818 in the northeast corner of Talbot County near the town of
Queen Anne. At age 6, Frederick Douglass began laboring at the
wheat plantation of Colonel Edward Lloyd. He was soon
transferred to Baltimore, where he worked for 7 years in the
residence of Hugh and Sophia Auld.
(3) Despite laws that prohibited literacy of enslaved
individuals, Frederick Douglass secretly taught himself to read
and write by examining discarded newspapers and studying books
on rhetoric, mastering the style of the time period. On
literacy, Douglass was clear, stating: ``Once you learn to
read, you will be forever free.'', and that ``Knowledge makes a
man unfit to be a slave.''.
(4) Douglass moved to a plantation near St. Michael,
Maryland, where he started a secret school for slaves that was
later broken up by an angry mob of white townspeople. As
punishment, Douglass was loaned out to a local farmer with a
reputation as a ``slave breaker''. Undaunted, Douglass started
another school for slaves and began plotting to escape and
liberate himself from slavery.
(5) Sent back to the Auld residence in Baltimore, Douglass
unsuccessfully attempted to buy his freedom, and instead
escaped in 1838 at the age of 20. Speaking of his freedom,
Douglass said, ``I prayed for freedom for twenty years, but
received no answer until I prayed with my legs.''. He traveled
to New York where he worked on whaling ships while avoiding
slave catchers. He adopted the surname ``Douglass'' on the
suggestion of his friend, Nathan Johnson, who was inspired by a
character in Sir Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake.
(6) Speaking at the August 1841 convention of the
Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society on Nantucket Island,
Douglass garnered the attention of leading abolitionists,
catapulting him into a speaking tour of northern states, where
he and his fellow speakers often endured verbal and physical
abuse.
(7) Douglass supported women's rights. He attended the
renowned Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, supporting the
inclusion of a landmark resolution that demanded the right for
all women to vote.
(8) His groundbreaking autobiographies, including
``Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American
Slave'' (1845), ``My Bondage and My Freedom'' (1855), and
``Life and Times of Frederick Douglass'' (1881), provided
detailed accounts of the life of an enslaved individual, the
struggles to escape, and the fight for freedom. His
abolitionist newspaper, the ``North Star'', promoted freedom
for slaves domestically and abroad. These writings not only
exposed the brutalities of slavery, but also dispelled myths
about African American inferiority.
(9) Douglass spoke forcefully about human oppression. On
August 3rd, 1857, he delivered an address in Canandaigua, New
York, emphasizing the work required to win freedom. ``If there
is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor
freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops
without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder
and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of
its many waters.'' ``This struggle may be a moral one, or it
may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical,
but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a
demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any
people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact
measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them,
and these will continue till they are resisted with either
words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are
prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.''.
(10) Douglass was active politically, endorsing the anti-
slavery platform of the Republican Party. He advised President
Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, pressing him to
emancipate all slaves and allowing their enlistment in the
Union Army. This policy would prove crucial to the Union Army's
recruiting efforts and eventual victory over the Confederacy.
(11) Douglass became the first Black journalist granted
access to the Capitol press galleries. Holding membership from
1871 to 1875, he diligently reported on legislative
developments within the House and Senate during the
Reconstruction era. His reports consistently provided vital
information to Black communities, bridging the gap between
legislative actions and their impacts on these communities.
(12) After the war, Douglass continued to work on full
implementation of abolition. Despite the passage of the
Thirteenth Amendment that outlawed slavery, Douglass argued
that ``the work of Abolitionists is not done'', and that equal
citizenship and rights were essential to finish the cause. He
supported the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments, pushing above all for the right for black men to
vote.
(13) Douglass continued to advocate for full engagement and
enfranchisement of Blacks in society, denouncing and speaking
on segregation and the growing wave of violence against Blacks
in the American South. Frustrated that the promises of
Reconstruction had not come to fruition, Douglass spoke in New
Hampshire during the winter of 1875. He pondered to audiences
why ``the American people could stand for the centralization of
slavery'', but not ``stand the centralization for liberty''.
(14) Douglass held several important public offices,
including U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia (1877 to
1881), Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia (1881 to
1886), and Minister to Haiti (1889 to 1891), further
solidifying his role as a statesman and leader.
(15) Douglass was relentless in his push for equality
through forceful speeches and writings until his death on
February 20th, 1895. On February 21st, 1895, the U.S. Senate
passed a resolution to adjourn to mourn his passing. Douglass
laid in state in City Hall as tributes to his life spread
across the country.
(16) Frederick Douglass's impact is not confined to his
era. His speeches, writings, and actions set precedents and
laid foundations for future stages of the civil rights
movement. His life story serves as a testament to the
resilience of the human spirit and the power of determination.
Reminding Americans that, ``If there is no struggle, there is
no progress.'', the legacy of Frederick Douglass persists today
in Easton, Maryland and across the world as his teachings,
values, and ideals continue to inspire, challenge, and guide
our nation towards a brighter, more inclusive future.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Frederick Douglass,
in recognition of his contributions to the cause of freedom, human
rights, and the abolition of slavery in the United States.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Award of Medal.--
(1) In general.--After the award of the gold medal referred
to in subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
National Museum of African American History and Culture, where
it shall be displayed as appropriate.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the National Museum of African American History and Culture
should make the gold medal received under paragraph (1)
available for display elsewhere, particularly at other
locations and events associated with Frederick Douglass.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--Medals struck under this Act are national
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31,
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--The amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 5 shall be deposited
into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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