After passage in the House of Delegates 133-0, an eleventh hour amendment of the House version allowed by Senate President Mike Miller threw procedural obstacles in the way of passage. With time running out and many bills held up in a power struggle over the budget, sponsor Del. Susan Lee and Chairman Pete Hammen finessed the rules and got the Senate version amended and passed so the bills would be identical and not require a conference committee.

Coalition leader and Maryland NOW president Linda Mahoney expressed her disappointment that some in the legislature are still unwilling to have Harriet Tubman be one of the two official Maryland statues in Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol: “I would have preferred to have the original bill from 2011 passed. However, we looked at the demographics in the legislature and decided that a Harriet Tubman statue in the U.S. Capitol now would be preferable to a possible statue in the Statuary Hall Collection in a decade or two. We want Harriet Tubman to be someone that girls and young women can look up to and realize that gender and ethnicity do not have to be a bar to achievement by individuals who want to improve the lives of the people around them.”

***

Harriet Tubman Statue & Commemoration Legislation
Bill: Request to Place a Statue of Harriet Tubman in the U.S. Capitol and for Commemorative Days to be set.
Synopsis: The main bill provides for authorizing legislation to place in the U.S Capitol a statue of Harriet Tubman, one of Maryland’s all time great American heroes. Tubman’s statue would be at no cost to the state of Maryland, as the funding will be provided by nonprofit groups and individual donors. Additional legislation requests declaration of state and national Harriet Tubman Days.
Committees: Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs
House of Delegates: Health & Government Operations Committee (statue)
Rules & Executive Nominations (commemorative days)

Lead sponsors: Delegate Susan C. Lee
(410) 8413649/ (301) 858-3649/ susan.lee@house.state.md.us

Senator Catherine Pugh
(410) 841-3656/ (301) 8583656 / catherine.pugh@senate.state.md.us

Coordinating Groups: Maryland NOW
Linda Mahoney, mdnowpresident@aol.com, 301-648-5484
www.marylandnow.org/Harriet_Tubman_Statue_Project

EVE [Equal Visibility Everywhere]
http://equalvisibilityeverywhere.org/
Dr. Lynette Long, drlynettelong@aol.com

The 100th anniversary of the death of Harriet Tubman is in March 2013 (her exact birthdate is unknown). The following legislation is offered to facilitate a timely celebration of her extraordinary achievements:
1) A gift of a Harriet Tubman statue from the citizens of Maryland to the people of the United States (HB 1429 /
HJ 11/SB 1069/ SJ 5) to be prominently placed somewhere in the U.S. Capitol, with private fundraising by a commission appointed by the Governor;

2) Declaration of a state Harriet Tubman Day for March 10, 2012 (HB 1154/SB 790) – hearing on March 13 will be too late for this one; Del. Lee is making a direct request to the Governor;
3) Declaration of an annual state Harriet Tubman Commemorative Day on March 10 (HB 1164/SB 777); and
4) Request by the Maryland Legislature to the U.S. President for a Declaration of a National Harriet Tubman Day on March 10, 2013 (HJ10/SJ 4).
Background Information:
Last year a broad coalition worked to get authorization for a Harriet Tubman statue to replace one of the two official Maryland statues in the U.S. Capitol. (Congressional legislation in 2000 authorized states to update their images with replacement of founders.) The legislation was amended in the Senate, and resulting legislation was unlikely to result in an official Harriet Tubman statue anytime soon. Thus the coalition recommended that the legislation be pulled before it could be similarly amended and passed in the House of Delegates.
The current legislation would not authorize a replacement; this would be an additional statue, and at no cost to the state of Maryland, as the funding will be provided by nonprofit groups and individual donors. Del. Susan Lee and Sen. Catherine Pugh are the lead sponsors again this year. Two groups initiated the 2011 effort: Equal Visibility Everywhere [EVE] and Maryland NOW [National Organization for Women – Maryland], which is again coordinating the communications and group support.

***

A heavily amended bill to place a statue of Harriet Tubman in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol was passed unanimously on March 28 by the Maryland Senate. “Maryland had a unique opportunity to replace a slaveholder with a slave, a white man with a Black woman, a colonial figure with a Civil War figure,” said Equal Visibility Everywhere (EVE) President Lynette Long in a statement. “They have squandered that opportunity. Instead, they’ve chosen to petition Congress for something they know they won’t get, in a transparent attempt to pass the buck to the federal government.”

The original bill was meant to replace the statue of John Hanson with one of Tubman, as states only get two statues in the crowded hall. The amended bill asks for an exception, allowing Maryland to place a third statue in the hall; an honor not given to any other state thus far.

Opposition of the original bill came from Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, D.-Dist. 27. Miller told Capital News Service he would like to honor Tubman, but doesn’t want to remove the statue of Hanson, who Miller considers an important figure in the history of the United States, as he served as president of the Continental Congress in 1781.

A book published in 1932, John Hanson: Our First President, gives credence to Miller’s argument, but many historians argue the validity of that. Many say the position was generally a ceremonial one with no real authority.

EVE, the sponsor of the bill, is angry as it believes the state of Maryland is missing out on the opportunity to be trailblazers by having the first African-American woman honored in the Statuary Hall.

“Harriet Tubman, an African-American woman from Maryland, was one of the most courageous and inspiring individuals in our nation’s history,” Long continued. “She was truly one of the all-time great American heroes, one of a handful of names that every schoolchild in this country knows. It is only right that she should be one of the two individuals representing Maryland in National Statuary Hall.”

Bill sponsor Del. Susan Lee, D.-Dist. 16, told the Baltimore Sun that Hanson has “monumental supporters” and that she may have to revisit this issue in 2012.

Read the original article in the Afro-American Newspapers.

ANNAPOLIS — A heavily amended bill to place a statue of Harriet Tubman in Statuary Hall passed the Senate unanimously Monday night, but advocates of the original bill aren’t happy about it.

The amended bill calls for Congress to make an exception so that Maryland can add Tubman as a third statue rather than replacing a statue of Revolution-era Maryland lawmaker John Hanson. Under the original bill the Hanson statue would have been removed from the Capitol and placed in Annapolis.

The bill’s sponsor in the House, Montgomery County Democrat Susan Lee, is unsure of the bill’s fate. She said she’s working with the chairman of the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Baltimore Democrat Peter Hammen, to decide how to pass a bill that is still meaningful, but said they may have to come back to it next year.

There was opposition to removing Hanson in high places in the Senate. Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. said he would like to honor Tubman without removing the statue of Hanson, who Miller considers a central figure in the beginning of the nation.

In a press release, Equal Visibility Everywhere, a group working to honor more women with statues and other symbols, and a major supporter of the Tubman legislation, said the amendment “effectively guts” the original bill.

“There is absolutely no reason to expect that Congress will make a special exception for Maryland and allow them to have three statues,” said Suzanne Scoggins, Equal Visibility Everywhere’s director of women’s history. “The supporters of the amendment are calling it a ‘compromise,’ but it’s not a compromise. Maryland isn’t going to be allowed to have three statues, and they know it. The effect of the amendment is to kill the Harriet Tubman statue.”

Read the original article in the Delmarva Daily Times.

John Hanson’s spot in the U.S. Capitol is secure, while Harriet Tubman’s chances of securing one are spotty, thanks to a vote this evening by the Maryland Senate.

The General Assembly has been weighing whether to swap out Hanson for Tubman in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Each state can have only two statues, and since 1903, Maryland has been represented by Hanson, a president of the Continental Congress, and Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.

This session, the National Organization for Women and dozens historical and civil rights groups were trying to gain a place for Tubman, who helped slaves travel to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

Although senators are supportive of Tubman, they won’t trade Hanson for her.

In an amendment adopted Friday, senators decided to ask Congress to allow Maryland three statues so that they won’t have to choose. The new plan gained unanimous final passage this evening.

In addition to providing glowing background information for Hanson, Carroll and Tubman, the amendment reads: “Whereas, It would benefit the nation and visitors to the nation’s Capitol to be made aware of Tubman’s contributions if an exception were made and an additional statue for Maryland were permitted in the National Statuary Hall Collection.”

The Senate says other states have three statues, but that’s not true, according to Eva Malecki, a spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol. Although there are other statues in the Capitol, each state can contribute only two historical figures each for the official Statuary Hall collection.

The House of Delegates has yet to vote on the Tubman v. Hanson issue and is waiting for the Senate to send over its bill. Del. Susan Lee, chairwoman of the women’s caucus, said she’ll work even harder next year if Tubman fails to unseat Hanson this session.

The Montgomery County Democrat noted Hanson has “monumental supporters” — including Senate President Thomas. V. Mike Miller, who is bookended by small statues of Hanson and Carroll as he presides over the chamber.

Read the original article in the Baltimore Sun.

Last Thursday a Maryland Senate committee approved an amendment that effectively guts the bill to place a statue of Harriet Tubman in National Statuary Hall.

The original bill (Senate Bill 351) calls for Maryland’s existing statue of John Hanson to be replaced with one of Harriet Tubman. The new amendment almost completely rewrites the bill, asking Congress instead to give Maryland special permission to place three statues, with the Tubman statue as the third addition.

“But we already know the answer to that,” says Suzanne Scoggins of EVE (Equal Visibility Everywhere), which sponsored the original legislation. “The answer is no. Each state is allowed two statues. The rules for Statuary Hall are precise and carefully formulated. There are 100 statues in the collection—two from each state—and the Capitol barely has room for all of them as it is. If you want to change a statue, you bring one home and send the new one in its place. There is absolutely no reason to expect that Congress will make a special exception for Maryland and allow them to have three statues. The supporters of the amendment are calling it a ‘compromise,’ but it’s not a compromise. Maryland isn’t going to be allowed to have three statues, and they know it. The effect of the amendment is to kill the Harriet Tubman statue.”

In an statement, EVE President Lynette Long said:

Maryland had a unique opportunity to replace a slaveholder with a slave, a white man with a Black woman, a colonial figure with a Civil War figure. They have squandered that opportunity. Instead, they’ve chosen to petition Congress for something they know they won’t get, in a transparent attempt to pass the buck to the federal government.

The population of Maryland is 29% African-American and 51% female. Harriet Tubman, an African-American woman from Maryland, was one of the most courageous and inspiring individuals in our nation’s history. She was truly one of the all-time great American heroes, one of a handful of names that every schoolchild in this country knows. It is only right that she should be one of the two individuals representing Maryland in National Statuary Hall. Yet a small group of white male legislators has derailed the entire project.

Leading the opposition is Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., a 68-year-old Democrat who has been a member of the Maryland Senate since 1975. He is joined by two other long-standing Democrats, Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton (a member of the Senate since 1995 and a relative of John Hanson) and Senator Roy Dyson, also a member of the Senate since 1995.

These gentlemen apparently believe that Maryland is best represented in Statuary Hall by an all-male, all-white contingent. Rather than honor Harriet Tubman, they prefer to keep the statues of Charles Carroll and John Hanson that have been in place since 1903. Charles Carroll was the largest slaveholder in the American colonies, and John Hanson was a minor figure who served a one-year term presiding over the Continental Congress.

What is especially disturbing is that on February 16, 2011, the Southern Maryland News reported Senator Miller as proposing that “a special category should be established in Statuary Hall for women and blacks who were not considered when states first were invited to contribute statues in 1864.” This smacks of separate but equal. It’s a sexist and racist statement that ignores the fact that women and Blacks have made contributions throughout history that have been ignored.

Senator Miller has argued repeatedly that John Hanson deserves to remain in Statuary Hall because he was “the first president of the United States.” This is a popular Maryland legend that has been debunked by historians numerous times. John Hanson served a one-year term as president of the Continental Congress, a parliamentary role with no executive power. A total of fifteen men served as presidents of Congress in the years from 1774 to 1789; John Hanson was ninth in the sequence.

Harriet Tubman would be the first African-American in National Statuary Hall and the tenth woman. There are currently a total of 100 statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection; 91 are of white males.

Most of the statues in the collection date from before 1940, but in 2000 Congress voted to allow states to replace one or both of their existing statues with more up-to-date models. So far three states (Kansas, California, and Alabama) have swapped out their statues. Several more are in the process of doing so: Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, and Kansas (again). Last week Iowa joined the club when it voted to replace its statue of Senator James Harlan with one of Norman Borlaug.

EVE is working with the State of Kansas on their new statue, which is to be of Amelia Earhart.

There are a handful of sculptures in the Capitol that are not part of the Statuary Hall Collection, such as the bust of Martin Luther King, but these were commissioned by Congress. They are not the gifts of individual states.

The Harriet Tubman Statue Project was sponsored by EVE in partnership with Maryland NOW, and has been endorsed by Governor Martin O’Malley, Attorney General Douglas Gansler, the Women’s Caucus (Women Legislators of Maryland), the Maryland NAACP, the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women, and many other organizations.

###

Contact:

Lynette Long, President of EVE
president@equalvisibilityeverywhere.org
(301) 325-6976

Suzanne Scoggins, EVE Director of Women’s History
press@equalvisibilityeverywhere.org
(804) 693-0381

A historical smackdown between Harriet Tubman and John Hanson didn’t quite live up to its billing on the floor of the Maryland Senate on Friday.

A bid to replace one of 100 marble pedestals in the exclusive National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol fell short, with a compromise emerging instead. Bill supporters wanted to replace Hanson, a leading advocate of American independence, with Tubman, the famous abolitionist.

But a far-reaching amendment to the bill was announced on the floor and then adopted with no debate.

Here’s the key language:

“The General Assembly of Maryland respectfully requests that an exception be made to allow the State of Maryland to place a third statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection, in addition to the existing Maryland representatives of John Hanson and Charles Carroll, or for the third statue to otherwise be given great prominence.

“The third statue would be of Harriet Tubman, an African American woman and most notable national hero for her contributions to the history of our country.

“The General Assembly respectfully requests the members of the Maryland congressional delegation to pursue, through the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, the exception requested under this Act to allow a third statue in Statuary Hall that would recognize the significance of Harriet Tubman in the history of Maryland and the nation.”

The amended bill is likely to get a final vote in the Senate on Monday and then head to the House of Delegates.

Read the original article in the Washington Post.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a sweatshop where hundreds of young women, most of them immigrants, slaved over sewing machines and work tables to make the popular blouses known as shirtwaists. When the fire started the women couldn’t get out, since the sweatshop owner had locked the doors. Fire hoses were too short to reach the highest floors where the fire raged. The trapped employees crowded onto a flimsy fire escape, which then collapsed under the weight. Desperately, with the wall of flames behind them, women started leaping to their deaths. A total of 146 garment workers died that day, most of them young women.

The Triangle fire was a watershed event. Labor laws, the women’s movement, public safety—all were transformed by the disaster.

Cornell University has an excellent resource site about the fire: Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire. It includes a photo archive (with graphic images, so be warned).

The Triangle fire had a galvanizing effect on Frances Perkins, who went on to become the first female Secretary of Labor (and the first female Cabinet member, period). Perkins was the architect of much of the New Deal, including Social Security.

ANNAPOLIS (March 24, 2011) — Supporters of a bill to replace a statue of Maryland legislator John Hanson with a statue of Harriet Tubman in the U.S. Capitol are now looking for a better piece of real estate for the former slave and abolitionist.

The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee is sending the legislation to the floor of the Senate with amendments to request that the U.S. Congress make an exception to the rule that each state get only two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, or to find a suitably prominent location for Tubman.

Hanson’s statue is located in a connecting corridor, which the bill’s advocates say is not easily accessible to the general public.

“I have an objection to putting Harriet Tubman where you can’t see her,” said committee Chair Sen. Joan Carter Conway, a Baltimore Democrat and a sponsor of the bill. “I would prefer her to have a prominent place.”

The debate surrounding the removal of a statue of Hanson, who was the first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation in 1781, stirred up impassioned debate in the General Assembly, where Hanson’s descendents have had a presence for generations, including current Sen. Thomas “Mac” Middleton, a Charles County Democrat.

The proposal has been opposed staunchly by Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. and others who feel Tubman should be honored without moving Hanson.

The only committee member to oppose Thursday’s amendment, Vice-Chair Roy Dyson, D-St. Mary’s, said that Congress would not make an exception for Tubman, but that he would write a letter to Congress as a former member asking that they find a place for Tubman in the Capitol.

“She should be in there for all she has done,” Dyson said.

Linda Mahoney, the president of the Maryland chapter of the National Organization for Women, is also opposed to the amendment.

“It seems to me that this amendment goes back to the idea that we should have a separate and unequal place for women and minorities,” said Mahoney, whose organization has been a driving force behind the legislation. “The point of the legislation was to improve the balance of representation in Statuary Hall.”

Statuary Hall was established in the old House of Representatives chamber in 1864 as a space for each state to commemorate two exemplary citizens. In 1933, Congress passed legislation that allowed for relocation of the statues that were crowding the chamber, sometimes three-deep against the wall, to other spaces throughout the building, according to the website of the Architect of the Capitol.

Congress passed legislation in 2000 that would allow states to replace their representative statues, acknowledging that the original figures may have been eclipsed by the accomplishments of more recent citizens. Some states, including California, Alabama and Kansas have replaced statues or are in the process of doing so.

Maryland is represented by Hanson and Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Both statues were installed at the Capitol in 1903.

The unamended bill to switch the statues has support from Gov. Martin O’Malley and groups like the National Organization for Women and the NAACP, as well as the Legislative Black Caucus and the women’s caucus. Thursday’s amendment could create a compromise that will get the bill through the Senate, where Conway expects it to be heard as early as next week.

Read the original article in Southern Maryland Online.

UPDATED: DES MOINES – Sen. James Harlan’s days in the U.S. Capitol are numbered.

The former principal of Iowa City College, president of Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant and slavery opponent will be replaced by Iowa native Norman Borlaug.

House Joint Resolution 16, approved 72-12 by the House and 47-1 by the Senate March 22, calls for replacing the statue of Harlan in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection with one of Norman Borlaug, winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize grew up near Cresco and went on to a world-wide career in plant breeding and was known as the father of the “green revolution.”

Gov. Terry Branstad will sign the resolution at 4 p.m. March 23 with John Ruan III and Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, chairman and president, respectively, of the World Food Prize, and members of the Iowa congressional delegation on hand.

“This is truly a historic occasion,” Branstad said. “Dr. Borlaug’s legacy in feeding a billion people marks him as one of Iowa’s and America’s greatest heroes. Having his statue in our nation’s capital will ensure that his legacy endures.”

Borlaug’s achievements in plant breeding are credited with saving of as many as a billion lives, which has lead to speculation that he has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived. Borlaug was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Quinn called the timing of the Legislature’s action fitting as Borlaug’s 97th birthday would be March 25 and the World Food Prize this year celebrates 25 years of recognizing great achievements in science and agriculture. Borlaug founded the World Food Prize Foundation after winning the Nobel peace Prize to bring more attention to those working on scientific advancements in agriculture.

“This is such a marvelous tribute to Dr. Borlaug. I want to express our heartfelt appreciation to the bipartisan leadership of the Iowa Legislature for this action,” Quinn said. “Norm personified Iowa and America, through his hard work and relentless drive to improve the quality of life around the globe, and was one of the first pioneers to take the great learnings of American science beyond our borders. We should all strive to be as dedicated as Norm to advancing humankind.”

Each state may have two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Currently, Iowa has Harlan, who was elected to the Senate as a Free Soiler – a party that opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories. Later, he ran as a Republican.

The other statue is of Samuel Kirkwood of Iowa City, who served two terms as governor and was appointed to fill Harlan’s unexpired term in the Senate.

Both men also served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

…

House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, noted that the Harlan statue has been in the U.S. Capitol for 101 years and Kirkwood’s for 98.

“So we honor them, we are very pleased to have them there,” she said, “but at this point it is not unreasonable to consider bringing one of them home to join us here at the Iowa State Capitol for continued residence and to place another statue in the United States Capitol.”

House members said they were not aware of any particular reason why they choose to replace the Harlan statue rather than the Kirkwood statue.

Wilhelm said that after reading the biographies of the two men, she thought it was more fitting to keep the Kirkwood statue in the Capitol.

However, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, has two members of his caucus looking at whether the Kirkwood statue should be replaced, too, perhaps by a notable Iowa woman.

Lawmakers are interested in moving the Harlan statue to the Iowa Capitol if the National Statuary Hall will release it. They are looking into the costs associated with the move.

Wilhelm understands all funds for a Borlaug statue as well as cost of moving the Harlan statue would be paid with donations, not tax dollars.

The Harlan statue has stood in the U.S. Capitol’s Hall of Statues since 1910. Kirkwood’s statue has been in the National Statuary Hall since 1913.

…

UPDATE: The Iowa House approved the resolution 72-12 March 22.

DES MOINES — Samuel Kirkwood is safe – for now.

Samuel Jordan Kirkwood statue in the National Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol. (Photo courtesy of the National Statuary Hall Collection)

However, Civil War-era Sen. James Harlan will lose his spot in the U.S. Capitol if a legislation introduced in the Iowa House is adopted by both chambers of the Iowa Legislature.

House Joint Resolution 16 calls for replacing the statue of Harlan in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection with one of Iowa native Norman Borlaug. Borlaug, winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize grew up near Cresco and went on to a world-wide career in plant breeding and was known as the father of the “green revolution.”

Each state may have two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Currently, Iowa has Harlan, who was elected to the Senate as a Free Soiler – a party that opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories. Later, he ran as a Republican. He also served as principal of Iowa City College and president of Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant prior to serving in the U.S. Senate. The other statue is of Samuel Kirkwood of Iowa City, who served two terms as governor and was appointed to fill Harlan’s unexpired term in the Senate.

Borlaug’s achievements in plant breeding are credited with saving of as many as a billion lives, which has lead to speculation that he has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived. Borlaug was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

…

House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, noted Tuesday that the Harlan statue has been in the U.S. Capitol for 101 years and Kirkwood’s for 98.

“So we honor them, we are very pleased to have them there,” she said, “but at this point it is not unreasonable to consider bringing one of them home to join us here at the Iowa State Capitol for continued residence and to place another statue in the United States Capitol.”

Sen. Mary Jo Wilhelm, D-Cresco, ran a similar resolution last year that was approved by the Senate. However, the House took no action. She plans on running HJR 16.

House members said they were not aware of any particular reason why they choose to replace the Harlan statue rather than the Kirkwood statue.

Wilhelm said that after reading the biographies of the two men, she thought it was more fitting to keep the Kirkwood statue in the Capitol.

However, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, has two members of his caucus looking at whether the Kirkwood statue should be replaced, too, perhaps by a notable Iowa woman.

Lawmakers are interested in moving the Harlan statue to the Iowa Capitol if the National Statuary Hall will release it. They are looking into the costs associated with the move.

Wilhelm understands all funds for a Borlaug statue as well as cost of moving the Harlan statue would be paid with donations, not tax dollars.

The Harlan statue has stood in the U.S. Capitol’s Hall of Statues since 1910. Kirkwood’s statue has been in the National Statuary Hall since 1913.

…

Read the full article at Eastern Iowa Government.