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Capitol Visitors' Hall To Honor Slaves

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The Associated Press

Published: November 14, 2007

WASHINGTON - The House on Tuesday agreed to name the largest room in the new Capitol Visitor Center in honor of the slaves who helped build the U.S. Capitol. Under the measure, the room would be called Emancipation Hall.

Lawmakers have been looking for a way to honor the slaves that were used in the construction of government buildings including the Capitol and the White House. The House passed the bill 398-6.

The Senate now must consider the bill.

"What Emancipation Hall will do is to make Americans want to know more about how much of our country was built on the backs of slave labor," said Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia. "Emancipation Hall is the place to do it, because the visitors center itself is going to be a giant temple for education about our country, about our Capitol and about what has happened in this building."

A congressional task force has also recommended that the role of slaves in the construction of the Capitol be included in guided tours, educational materials, exhibits, plaques and showcases in the Capitol Visitor Center, which is scheduled to be completed next November.

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