H.R. 7378

[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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