Political Quotes

“I am proud that the House of Representatives is finally considering legislation to honor the Underground Railroad. This bill, H.R. 1635, introduced by our highly respected colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes), would establish the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program under the National Park Service. Mr. Stokes and my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman), worked together to establish this program to identify sites and areas important to the struggle for freedom known as the Underground Railroad. This bill is without a doubt a long and overdue recognition of an important piece of American history. Mr. Speaker, the program will incorporate Underground Railroad routes and sites with interpretive information about the railroad and the people involved. The National Park Service will work in cooperation with State and local governments and the private sector to develop a comprehensive written history. The Underground Railroad stretched for thousands of miles from Kentucky and Virginia across Ohio and Indiana. In a northerly direction it stretched from Maryland across Pennsylvania and through New York and through New England. This was not just a route north though, and the network this legislation establishes will link numerous locations and landmarks within the United States as well the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.”