WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley that would help establish a memorial to honor free and enslaved African Americans who served or provided civilian assistance during the American Revolution has received committee approval.
Earlier this week, the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources favorably reported the National Liberty Memorial Act. Grassley and Senator Chris Dodd sponsored the legislation which now must be considered by the full Senate and House of Representatives.
“The sacrifices of African Americans who served in the Revolutionary War have gone unnoticed for too long,” Grassley said. “Both freed and enslaved African Americans, including Iowan Cato Mead, were instrumental in the independence of this great nation, having served in militias and under General Washington as soldiers and sailors.”
The National Liberty Memorial would be located on the National Mall to honor the more than 5,000 slaves and free African Americans who served or assisted during the Revolutionary War.
Grassley’s work to get the memorial built began when several young Iowans took an interest in the effort and helped with the initial push for the memorial. No taxpayer dollars are used for memorials on the National Mall. This measure authorizes the National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to raise private money for the new memorial.
One soldier of special interest to many Iowans is Cato Mead, an African American Revolutionary War patriot who spent his final years in southeast Iowa. There is a monument dedicated to Mead in the Montrose Cemetery in Lee County.