Political Quotes

“I love this Capitol. I love every square inch of it. I have spent many, many hours walking people through this Capitol and talking about the extraordinary history of this place. About 1,700 times I have taken groups through the Capitol over the last 13 years. Some of the stories that I have learned about as I share them just send chills up and down my spine. To think that there were 4,000 Union troops during the Civil War stationed on Capitol Hill, that 4,000 troops were here at the Capitol during the Civil War. And when you go up inside of the Dome, the magnificent Dome, which around the world is the beacon of freedom, the symbol of hope, recognizable everywhere in this world, you go up inside of it, and you ask what the little hooks are hanging there, and they will tell you that is where they hung the lanterns when Union soldiers would work side by side with slaves to build that Rotunda in the depths of the Civil War. That is a fact that few people know because, as Ms. Norton said, the story was never told. It was never archived, the incredible commitment and the irony of the people fighting for the slaves' freedom were working side by side during the Civil War to build this temple of freedom.”