National Reconstruction Study Area Act

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 332 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 332

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the
historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the
Reconstruction Era to assess the suitability and feasibility of
designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 8, 2003

Mr. Wilson of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the
historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the
Reconstruction Era to assess the suitability and feasibility of
designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

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 ``National Reconstruction Study Area
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Reconstruction Era, during which Congress adopted
the 13th amendment ending slavery, the 14th amendment
guaranteeing civil rights, and the 15th amendment guaranteeing
voting rights to all citizens of the United States, saw the
occurrence of a transforming series of events in the history of
the United States.
(2) Beaufort, South Carolina, and the surrounding sea
islands--
(A) contain significant historical and
archaeological sites associated with the Reconstruction
Era; and
(B) offer a unique opportunity for preserving and
interpreting the Reconstruction Era.
(3) The first African-Americans to hear the reading of
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation assembled on
January 1, 1863, at the Old Fort Plantation on the Beaufort
River in the State of South Carolina.
(4) The Penn School, a national historic landmark located
on St. Helena Island, South Carolina--
(A) was the first educational experiment of the
Reconstruction Era and the eventual end of chattel
slavery; and
(B) remains 1 of the most significant African-
American cultural and educational institutions in the
United States.
(5) The Freedmen's Bureau, located in the restored Beaufort
College, served as the chief policy arm of the Federal
Government for matters related to emancipated slaves during the
Reconstruction Era.
(6) Beaufort County, South Carolina, and the surrounding
sea islands have many other noteworthy historic buildings and
archaeological sites, including--
(A) buildings and sites associated with Robert
Smalls, a former slave who--
(i) became a hero to the Union cause when
he and several slaves seized control of the
armed Confederate ship on which they served and
then turned the ship over to the Union navy;
and
(ii) represented the State of South
Carolina in the House of Representatives during
the Reconstruction Era;
(B) the first Freedmen's Village of Mitchellville
on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina;
(C) Camp Sexton, the site of the first African-
American regiment mustered in the United States Army;
and
(D) Penn School and Beaufort College.
(7) The National Park System does not have a park or
historic site that focuses primarily on the preservation and
interpretation of the Reconstruction Era.
(8) The Reconstruction Era was a period of deep cultural,
political, and economic division in the United States, and it
is necessary to better understand this complex period of
history and the continuing impact of this period on the United
States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National
Park Service.
(2) Study area.--
(A) In general.--The term ``study area'' means the
area comprised of historical sites in the historic
district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the
Reconstruction Era.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``study area'' includes
the following:
(i) The Penn School.
(ii) The Old Fort Plantation on the
Beaufort River.
(iii) The Freedmen's Bureau in Beaufort
College.
(iv) The First Freedmen's Village of
Mitchellville on Hilton Head Island.
(v) Various historic buildings and
archaeological sites associated with Robert
Smalls.
(vi) The Beaufort Arsenal.
(vii) other significant sites relating to
the Reconstruction Era.

SEC. 4. STUDY.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall complete a study of the study
area to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study
area as a unit of the National Park System.
(b) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall
be conducted in accordance with Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et
seq.).

SEC. 5. REPORT.

As soon as practicable after the study under section 4 is
completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Resources of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report that describes the findings of the
study and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
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