New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act

I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska for yielding me this time, and for his leadership on the committee to make these bills law.

Mr. Speaker, New Philadelphia, Illinois, was the first town founded and built by a freed slave, and it happened before the Civil War.

Today, this historic town in my district deserves designation as a national park, and H.R. 930 will pave the way for official recognition.

The man who founded New Philadelphia was Frank McWorter, a Kentucky slave who worked to buy his own freedom and that of his wife and 15 family members. At a time of immense cultural and political hostilities over the issue of slavery, the McWorter family and other citizens of New Philadelphia built a town where free African Americans and European settlers lived and worked side by side.

Due to their hard work and strong faith, the scourge of racial violence never gained a foothold in the town, despite the upheaval around them. Think of the significance of that. The people of New Philadelphia built the dream of Martin Luther King a full 127 years before his immortal words were spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Long before the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of American schools, these Illinoisans were teaching their children in the same classrooms, letting them play in the same parks, and drawing water from the same wells. The story of New Philadelphia is a proud heritage for central Illinois, and it deserves to be shared with all Americans.

Today, we are honored to have a direct descendant of Frank McWorter here in the gallery, Sheena Franklin. This family, this town, are examples of the best of America, and they accomplished it during the worst of our times.

I also want to especially thank members of the New Philadelphia Association, especially Charlotte King, who have worked for more than a decade to document, preserve, and restore the extraordinary history of the town. It is through their efforts that this unique chapter in our history can be preserved for generations as a national park, and I look forward to continuing to work with them toward that goal.

This legislation is another step in the direction of racial justice. It is another sure stitch in the healing process for a Nation once divided so bitterly and tragically over the issue of slavery. I urge passage of H.R. 930.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This bill by the gentleman from Illinois, he has already eloquently described the history and the purpose. It is an extraordinary history in New Philadelphia, and it certainly deserves more national recognition. In this case, the gentleman's legislation, H.R. 930, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the New Philadelphia archaeological site and the surrounding land. It would require the Secretary to evaluate the national significance of the study area and determine the feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the national park system. Therefore, we support this legislation.

I thank the majority and the gentleman from Illinois for bringing this up, and urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 930) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the archeological site and surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock) who authored this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.