{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://harris.house.gov/media/in-the-news/bill-honors-douglass", "Bill Honors Douglass", "2017-10-17", "2017", "2017-10", "Republican", "House", "MD", "Andy Harris", "H001052", "harris.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "EASTON \u2014 A bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives would set up a commission to develop ways to honor Talbot County\u2019s native son, Frederick Douglass, in the year of his 200th birthday.\nAccording to the bill, H.R. 2989, the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission would \u201cplan, develop, and carry out programs and activities that are fitting and proper to honor Frederick Douglass on the occasion of the bicentennial anniversary of Douglass\u2019 birth.\u201d The commission will then make recommendations to Congress.\nThe bill was introduced in June by U.S Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Washington, D.C., Democrat.\nHarris said during a House session on Oct. 11 that the purpose of the bill \u201cis more than just honoring the birth of one great civil rights leader.\u201d\n\u201cIts purpose is to recognize his lasting impact on American government, culture and values,\u201d Harris said.\n\u201cFrederick Douglass\u2019 work stretched far beyond the fight for legal freedom into the equally important fight for social and cultural equality,\u201d Harris said. \u201cFrederick Douglass is a model for the values that make our nation great \u2014 quality, liberty and a commitment to working hard and helping others.\u201d\nDouglass was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore in 1818 and had no formal education, but taught himself to read and write. After his escape from slavery, he became a powerful abolitionist, author, statesman and orator.\nHe was an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln, a U.S. marshal, an ambassador and was considered as a presidential nominee during the Republican National Convention in 1888.\nIn September, Harris visited Wye House, the historic planation house in Talbot County where Douglass spent part of his childhood. He was led through the tour by Dr. Mark Leone, an archeologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland, who said, \u201cWye House is important to Frederick Douglass, to Talbot County, to Maryland, and to all of its descendants.\u201d\n\u201cOur commitment has been to discovering African-American heritage through archaeology. (Our) discoveries show us the creative culture that Frederick Douglass knew and fought to free,\u201d Leone said. \u201cThe archaeology shows us the community that produced him and his values. Thus, preserving it during his bicentenary is guaranteeing American freedom.\u201d\nThe House version of the bill now heads to the Senate, where a copy of the legislation is being sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.\n\u201cAs we approach the bicentennial of Douglass\u2019 birth, all Americans should learn more about his work as an abolitionist and his lasting influence on our nation\u2019s culture, as I did at Wye House,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThe commission established by this legislation will determine the best ways to honor this great American hero, and his fight for freedom and equality.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://harris.house.gov/media/in-the-news/bill-honors-douglass"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1835680343210697, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}