This proposal would posthumously award a single, historic Congressional Gold Medal to Africans and their descendants who were enslaved in this country from August 20, 1619, to December 6, 1865. The text lists findings about the transatlantic slave trade, forced labor on farms and plantations, the suffering of enslaved people, and the economic role of slave labor. The Secretary of the Treasury would design and strike the gold medal, and the medal would be given to the Smithsonian Institution to be displayed at the National Museum of African American History & Culture for public display and research.
If enacted, the measure would create and present a single collective gold medal honoring people who were enslaved during the stated period. The medal would be kept by the Smithsonian museum named in the text and available for viewing and research. The Secretary of the Treasury would decide the medal's final design.
The text authorizes the Mint to strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze and to set prices to cover the cost of producing those duplicates (labor, materials, dies, machinery use, and overhead). Proceeds from duplicate sales would be deposited in the Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and the Mint may charge that fund for medal costs. No specific dollar amounts or overall cost estimates are provided in the text.
The text presents findings that describe the harsh conditions of the transatlantic slave trade, the suffering and exploitation of enslaved people, and the economic importance of slave labor to the country's development. It frames the medal as recognition of those enslaved persons as major contributors to the nation's economic foundations and as a form of historical recognition and remembrance.
No publicly available information.