To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

January 8, 2003

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `National Reconstruction Study Area Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The Reconstruction Era, during which Congress adopted the 13th amendment ending slavery, the 14th amendment guaranteeing civil rights, and the 15th amendment guaranteeing voting rights to all citizens of the United States, saw the occurrence of a transforming series of events in the history of the United States.

(2) Beaufort, South Carolina, and the surrounding sea islands--

(A) contain significant historical and archaeological sites associated with the Reconstruction Era; and

(B) offer a unique opportunity for preserving and interpreting the Reconstruction Era.

(3) The first African-Americans to hear the reading of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation assembled on January 1, 1863, at the Old Fort Plantation on the Beaufort River in the State of South Carolina.

(4) The Penn School, a national historic landmark located on St. Helena Island, South Carolina--

(A) was the first educational experiment of the Reconstruction Era and the eventual end of chattel slavery; and

(B) remains 1 of the most significant African-American cultural and educational institutions in the United States.

(5) The Freedmen's Bureau, located in the restored Beaufort College, served as the chief policy arm of the Federal Government for matters related to emancipated slaves during the Reconstruction Era.

(6) Beaufort County, South Carolina, and the surrounding sea islands have many other noteworthy historic buildings and archaeological sites, including--

(A) buildings and sites associated with Robert Smalls, a former slave who--

(i) became a hero to the Union cause when he and several slaves seized control of the armed Confederate ship on which they served and then turned the ship over to the Union navy; and

(ii) represented the State of South Carolina in the House of Representatives during the Reconstruction Era;

(B) the first Freedmen's Village of Mitchellville on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina;

(C) Camp Sexton, the site of the first African-American regiment mustered in the United States Army; and

(D) Penn School and Beaufort College.

(7) The National Park System does not have a park or historic site that focuses primarily on the preservation and interpretation of the Reconstruction Era.

(8) The Reconstruction Era was a period of deep cultural, political, and economic division in the United States, and it is necessary to better understand this complex period of history and the continuing impact of this period on the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service.

(2) STUDY AREA-

(A) IN GENERAL- The term `study area' means the area comprised of historical sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era.

(B) INCLUSIONS- The term `study area' includes the following:

(i) The Penn School.

(ii) The Old Fort Plantation on the Beaufort River.

(iii) The Freedmen's Bureau in Beaufort College.

(iv) The First Freedmen's Village of Mitchellville on Hilton Head Island.

(v) Various historic buildings and archaeological sites associated with Robert Smalls.

(vi) The Beaufort Arsenal.

(vii) other significant sites relating to the Reconstruction Era.

SEC. 4. STUDY.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall complete a study of the study area to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

(b) APPLICABLE LAW- The study required under subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et seq.).

SEC. 5. REPORT.

As soon as practicable after the study under section 4 is completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that describes the findings of the study and any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

END