CAPITAL CULTURE: Slaves who built Capitol honored

[Omaha Steve]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAPITOL_SLAVES?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- African-American slaves sweated in the summer heat and shivered in the winter's cold while helping to build the U.S. Capitol.

Congress took note of their service and sacrifice Wednesday by erecting commemorative plaques inside the Capitol in their honor. Lawmakers said the memorials will ensure that the contributions of slaves in building one of the world's most recognizable buildings are never again forgotten.


Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., holds one of the plaques, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 16, 2010, during ceremony to unveil plaques recognizing the contributions of enslaved African Americans in the construction of the United States Capitol. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)


"In remembering the slaves who labored here, we give them in death some measure of the dignity they were so cruelly denied in life," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said at the plaques' unveiling.

The plaques read: "This original exterior wall was constructed between 1793 and 1800 of sandstone quarried by laborers, including enslaved African Americans who were an important part of the workforce that built the United States Capitol."

Lawmakers have been looking for ways to honor the slaves who were used in the construction of government buildings, including the Capitol and the White House.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a former civil rights leader who chaired a congressional task force that studied the contributions of slaves to the Capitol, told onlookers that the plaques help reveal a part of the Capitol's history that has been overlooked by many.

FULL story at link.

[Old Troop]

1. I wonder if their descendent's can be tracked down and honored at the Capital?