Jeff Flake: “Too often, Mr. Speaker, we witness the significant contributions of segments of our society being relegated to the…”

“Too often, Mr. Speaker, we witness the significant contributions of segments of our society being relegated to the footnotes of history. We hear instead a history myopic in its view of those who laid the foundation for this Nation, and the people whose sacrifices were of equal value are undervalued, mislabeled, and often forgotten. Today, by passing H.R. 1776, we expand the focus of history's view of African- Americans contribution to the liberty and freedom we enjoy as Americans. H.R. 1776 will celebrate the birth, 275 years ago, of Crispus Attucks who was the first casualty in the American Revolution. Attucks was a black man killed by British troops in Boston on March 5, 1770, during an event that would become known as the Boston Massacre. Moreover, some 5,000 other black patriots fought during the Revolutionary War and its major battles of Lexington, Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Concord, and others. Today we will ensure that people understand the heroism of Attucks, and men like Peter Salem who was the hero of Bunker Hill when he slew the British commander. Perhaps a more compelling reason to commemorate these men by this coin, and by commemorating them on the Mall, is that despite being relegated to second-class citizenship and servitude, they fought for the values of freedom upon which this country was founded.”