Preservation of Records of Servitude, Emancipation and Post-Civil War Reconstruction Act

January 22, 2007
U.S. House of Representatives

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 390, the Preservation of Records of Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction Act, legislation which would establish a grant program, as outlined just a moment ago by Mr. Clay.

H.R. 390 would authorize the creation of a national database within the National Archives to include records of servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction held by Federal agencies. These records include: the Southern Claims Commission Records, Records of the Freedmen's Bank, Slave Impressment Records, Slave Payroll Records, and Slave Manifests.

Many of these records are not organized, catalogued, or well protected from the elements. H.R. 390 will not only make these documents more accessible to the public but will preserve them as well. H.R. 390 continues the important preservation efforts begun under the Freedmen's Bureau Records Preservation Act of 2000. The creation of a searchable database will help African Americans conduct genealogical research and learn more about their families' history.

In addition, the national database will help historians and others interested in the Civil War and post-Civil War eras to conduct research that promises to reveal more about the history and culture of the South and the African American experience. Similar records of servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War reconstruction are held by local and State entities.

H.R. 390 authorizes the National Archives to provide grants to States, universities, and genealogical associations to digitally preserve their records through the creation of searchable databases. The digital preservation of these important historical documents and improved accessibility to them will ensure that they are available to future generations of Americans.

I think this is legislation that all my colleagues can support, and I urge support for H.R. 390