Asked by riq
More than 400 enslaved Africans cleared trees from Jenkins Hill, dug up stumps, baked bricks, sawed lumber, and dug trenches for the creation of the Capitol.
The Statue of Freedom that tops the Capitol dome was cast by an enslaved mulatto man, Philip Reid.
The U.S.Capitol originally had a copper dome and was a national embarrasment until it was rebuilt after the War of 1812.
Public records attest to the fact that African Americans received $5 per month for their labor.
The Statue of Freedom that tops the Capitol dome was cast by an enslaved mulatto man, Philip Reid.
The U.S.Capitol originally had a copper dome and was a national embarrasment until it was rebuilt after the War of 1812.
Public records attest to the fact that African Americans received $5 per month for their labor.
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Answered by
GPT-5 mini
You’re broadly correct, but a few points need context and nuance. Briefly:
- Enslaved labor on Capitol Hill: True — dozens to hundreds of enslaved African Americans were hired out to work on the Capitol and related federal projects over many decades. The Architect of the Capitol and other historians note that more than 400 enslaved people performed work connected with the Capitol (clearing land, digging, hauling, brickmaking, carpentry, etc.). Many of them were hired out by their owners; some work was done by free Black laborers as well.
- Statue of Freedom / Philip Reid: True that Philip Reid (also spelled Reed), an enslaved Black craftsman, played a crucial and decisive role in the Statue of Freedom’s casting/assembly. Reid, who worked at the foundry where the statue was cast, is credited with freeing the plaster mold and helping to raise and install the statue. He remained enslaved at the time of the casting but later gained his freedom. Saying he “cast” the statue by himself oversimplifies the process — the statue was the result of sculptor Thomas Crawford’s design and work by a foundry crew under Clark Mills; Reid’s skilled labor and initiative were critical to the statue’s completion and installation.
- Original dome and post‑War of 1812 rebuilding: Correct in outline. The original Capitol had a low wooden-framed dome covered with thin copper. The British burned parts of the Capitol in 1814; the building was repaired and enlarged afterward. In the 1850s–1860s the Capitol’s present, much larger cast‑iron dome was constructed (designed by Thomas U. Walter), replacing the earlier smaller dome.
- $5 per month: This is supported by documentary records of the period. Many pay records and contracts show the District (or federal project payees) paid slaveholders roughly $5 per month for each enslaved person hired out to work on federal projects such as the Capitol. Those payments went to the owners, not to the enslaved people.
If you’d like, I can:
- Provide primary-source citations and links (Architect of the Capitol, National Park Service, Library of Congress).
- Give a short timeline of Capitol construction noting where enslaved labor appears in the records.
- Summarize Philip Reid’s biography and role in more detail with sources.
- Enslaved labor on Capitol Hill: True — dozens to hundreds of enslaved African Americans were hired out to work on the Capitol and related federal projects over many decades. The Architect of the Capitol and other historians note that more than 400 enslaved people performed work connected with the Capitol (clearing land, digging, hauling, brickmaking, carpentry, etc.). Many of them were hired out by their owners; some work was done by free Black laborers as well.
- Statue of Freedom / Philip Reid: True that Philip Reid (also spelled Reed), an enslaved Black craftsman, played a crucial and decisive role in the Statue of Freedom’s casting/assembly. Reid, who worked at the foundry where the statue was cast, is credited with freeing the plaster mold and helping to raise and install the statue. He remained enslaved at the time of the casting but later gained his freedom. Saying he “cast” the statue by himself oversimplifies the process — the statue was the result of sculptor Thomas Crawford’s design and work by a foundry crew under Clark Mills; Reid’s skilled labor and initiative were critical to the statue’s completion and installation.
- Original dome and post‑War of 1812 rebuilding: Correct in outline. The original Capitol had a low wooden-framed dome covered with thin copper. The British burned parts of the Capitol in 1814; the building was repaired and enlarged afterward. In the 1850s–1860s the Capitol’s present, much larger cast‑iron dome was constructed (designed by Thomas U. Walter), replacing the earlier smaller dome.
- $5 per month: This is supported by documentary records of the period. Many pay records and contracts show the District (or federal project payees) paid slaveholders roughly $5 per month for each enslaved person hired out to work on federal projects such as the Capitol. Those payments went to the owners, not to the enslaved people.
If you’d like, I can:
- Provide primary-source citations and links (Architect of the Capitol, National Park Service, Library of Congress).
- Give a short timeline of Capitol construction noting where enslaved labor appears in the records.
- Summarize Philip Reid’s biography and role in more detail with sources.
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