{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://clyburn.house.gov/press-release/clyburn-introduces-legislation-create-national-monument-dedicated-reconstruction-era", "Clyburn Introduces Legislation to create National Monument dedicated to Reconstruction ERA at Penn Center", "2016-06-02", "2016", "2016-06", "Democrat", "House", "SC", "James Clyburn", "C000537", "clyburn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "ColumbiA, S.C. \u2013 U.S. House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement after introducing the \u201cPenn School \u2013 Reconstruction Era National Monument Act.\u201d\nThe bill would designate the historic Penn Center campus (formerly known as Penn School) on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, as a National Monument.\u00a0 The National Monument would be dedicated to the history of the Reconstruction Era and managed by the National Park Service.\u00a0 He was joined by Rep. Mark Sanford as an original cosponsor.\n\u201cPenn Center is one of the most significant historical institutions in America.\u00a0 Founded during the Civil War as Penn School, it was one of the first schools built in the South to educate newly freed slaves.\u00a0 Throughout the Reconstruction Era, Penn School helped African Americans of the Sea Islands of South Carolina thrive and take advantage of opportunities denied to them by slavery.\u201d\n\u201cAfter local governments began to operate public schools for African Americans, Penn reorganized as Penn Center, a community organization dedicated to civil rights, preservation of Gullah history and culture, and providing critical services and resources to the community on St. Helena.\u00a0 Penn Center continues its mission today, operating on the same historic campus continuously since the Civil War.\u201d\n\u201cThis bill would establish a National Monument dedicated to the history and interpretation of the Reconstruction Era, a period of history underrepresented in the National Park System.\u00a0 For generations, the story of this era was intentionally manipulated, to downplay the civil rights and economic gains made by African Americans following the Civil War and the pernicious efforts by white Southerners to disfranchise them.\u201d\n\u201cThe site of Penn School is the ideal location for a National Monument dedicated to the Reconstruction Era, as its history is one of the best examples of the stories of the period.\u00a0 Importantly, enacting this legislation will not detract from Penn Center\u2019s ongoing operations.\u00a0 The National Park Service would partner with Penn Center to manage the National Monument, but Penn Center will continue their mission on their historic campus as they have for over 150 years.\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": ["http://clyburn.house.gov/press-release/clyburn-introduces-legislation-create-national-monument-dedicated-reconstruction-era"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.2969440799206495, "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"}