Maryland Congressman Glen Ivey introduced a bill that would award abolitionist Frederick Douglass a Congressional Gold Medal for his “contributions to the cause of freedom, human rights, and the abolition of slavery in the United States.”
“It’s long past time Congress bestows this honor upon an American whose indelible impact is still felt today and will continue to be felt for generations to come,” Ivey told representatives Feb. 13. “Therefore, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill.”
If Douglass is awarded the medal, it would be displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
Douglass would join the likes of President George Washington, the Wright brothers and Thomas Edison as fellow honorees. The first recipients of the medal included those who participated in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, but Congress expanded that to artists, actors, authors and other kinds of civilian contributors, starting with Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1864.
Douglass was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and escaped north in 1838. He became a renowned orator and leading antislavery advocate.
Following the Civil War and and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, Douglass served as a U.S. marshal in D.C. under five presidents.
“Frederick Douglass dedicated his life to furthering the cause of freedom in the United States,” Ivey said in a news release. “Few Americans have shaped our nation so profoundly and permanently as Frederick Douglass did. To this very day, Douglass’s message and principles remain a guiding light for our country as we continue to seek fulfillment of our nation’s promise and potential for justice and equality.”
The bill will have to be passed by both houses of Congress before the president can make a decision.
