,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #djde ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #aa1 #bjad ,mr4 ,cicilline 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,barber1 ,ms4 ,bass1 ,mr4 ,becerra1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mr4 ,brooks of ,alabama1 ,mrs4 ,bustos1 ,mr4 ,butterfield1 ,mrs4 ,capps1 ,mr4 ,carney1 ,mr4 ,cartwright1 ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,castro of ,texas1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,ms4 ,chu1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,mr4 ,clyburn1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,courtney1 ,mrs4 ,davis of ,california1 ,ms4 ,de,lauro1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mr4 ,dingell1 ,mr4 ,doggett1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,ms4 ,edwards1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,fattah1 ,ms4 ,frankel of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,ms4 ,gabbard1 ,mr4 ,garamendi1 ,mr4 ,garcia1 ,mr4 ,gibson1 ,mr4 ,al ,green of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,ms4 ,hanabusa1 ,mr4 ,hanna1 ,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,heck of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,higgins1 ,mr4 ,himes1 ,mr4 ,holt1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,mr4 ,horsford1 ,mr4 ,hoyer1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,ms4 ,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,kildee1 ,mrs4 ,kirkpatrick1 ,mr4 ,lance1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut1 ,mrs4 ,lowey1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,matsui1 ,mr4 ,mc,allister1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,mc,nerney1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,murphy of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,mrs4 ,negrete ,mc,leod1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,ms4 ,pelosi1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,mr4 ,renacci1 ,mr4 ,richmond1 ,ms4 ,ros-,lehtinen1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,schock1 ,ms4 ,schwartz1 ,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,virginia1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,ms4 ,shea-,porter1 ,mr4 ,shimkus1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,california1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,tierney1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,vela1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mr4 ,walz1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,ms4 ,waters1 ,mr4 ,waxman1 ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,yarmuth1 and ,mr4 ,young of ,alaska7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional gold medal1 collectively1 to the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment1 in recognition of their dedicated service during the ,revolutionary ,war4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,during the winter of ,valley ,forge1 from #aggg-aggh1 the ,continental ,army had difficulty recruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the ,congress4 7#b7 ,at the same time1 the ,state of ,rhode ,island was ordered to supply two battalions while faced with the occupation of the ,city of ,newport by the ,british4 7#c7 ,in ,january #aggh1 at the urging of ,brigadier ,general ,james ,varnum1 ,general ,george ,washington wrote to ,governor ,nicholas ,cooke of the ,state of ,rhode ,island requesting assistance recruiting men for the ,continental ,line4 7#d7 ,on ,february #ad1 #aggh1 the ,rhode ,island ,general ,assembly voted to allow the enlistment of every able-bodied negro1 mulatto1 or ,indian man slave4 7#e7 ,in addition1 the ,rhode ,island ,general ,assembly provided that any enlisted slave upon his passing muster before ,colonel ,christopher ,greene1 be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress1 and be absolutely free as though he had never been incumbered and be incumbered with any kind of servitude or slavery44 7#f7 ,as a result1 between ,february #aggh and ,june #aggh1 ,colonel ,christopher ,greene1 ,lt4 ,colonel ,jeremiah ,olney and ,major ,samuel ,ward recruited almost #bjj men of ,african and ,native ,american descent who formed the core of the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment4 7#g7 ,the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment became among the first units in ,american ,history in which men of every race and ethnicity were recruited to serve4 7#h7 ,on ,august #bh1 #aggh1 at the ,battle of ,rhode ,island1 following an attempted siege of ,british-occupied ,newport along with the newly allied ,french fleet1 the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment acted heroically in holding back ,hessian forces and causing them to retreat4 7#i7 ,during the ,battle of ,rhode ,island1 the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment's losses included three killed1 nine wounded and eleven missing soldiers4 7#aj7 ,for an additional #e years1 the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment fought bravely to win ,american independence including at ,fort ,oswego1 ,saratoga1 and ,yorktown4 7#aa7 ,on ,june #ac1 #aghc1 at ,saratoga1 the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment was demobilized4 7#ab7 ,their commander1 ,colonel ,jeremiah ,olney1 praised the ,regiment for faithfully preserving in the best of causes1 in every stage of service1 with unexampled fortitude and patience through all the danger and toils of a long and severe war4 7#ac7 ,afterwards1 some veterans of the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment had to consistently resist efforts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages from the ,rhode ,island ,general ,assembly4 7#ad7 ,according to the ,rhode ,island ,state ,archives1 the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment included at least the following soldiers3 ,babcock1 ,priamus 7,primus72 ,bent1 ,prince2 ,bours1 ,cato2 ,brown1 ,priamus 7,primus72 ,burk1 ,africa2 ,burroughs1 ,john2 ,carpenter1 ,cudgo2 ,champlin1 ,dick2 ,champlin1 ,jack2 ,champlin1 ,july2 ,champlin1 ,newport2 ,champlin1 ,sharper2 ,champlin1 ,york2 ,clark1 ,james2 ,coddington1 ,jack2 ,fones1 ,jack2 ,gardner1 ,cuff2 ,gardner1 ,hercules2 ,gardner1 ,minkl2 ,gardner1 ,preamus 7,primus72 ,gardner1 ,rutter2 ,gray1 ,ebenezer2 ,green1 ,cuff2 ,greene1 ,cato2 ,greene1 ,jack2 ,greene1 ,pero2 ,greene1 ,william2 ,hammond1 ,prince2 ,harriss1 ,cesar2 ,hazard1 ,backus2 ,hazard1 ,jabin2 ,hazard1 ,jacob2 ,hazard1 ,peter2 ,hazard1 ,peter2 ,lefavour1 ,thom2 ,mason1 ,warsen2 ,mawney1 ,cyrus2 ,minturn1 ,jack2 ,mowrey1 ,pero2 ,nichols1 ,thomas2 ,perry1 ,ganset2 ,phillips1 ,philow2 ,pierce1 ,titus2 ,potter1 ,david2 ,randall1 ,prince2 ,rhodes1 ,bristol2 ,rhodes1 ,priamus2 ,rhodes1 ,richard2 ,rhodes1 ,samuel2 ,richmond1 ,ebenezer2 ,robinson1 ,mingo2 ,rodman1 ,isaac2 ,rodman1 ,mingo2 ,rodman1 ,prince2 ,rose1 ,cesar2 ,saltonstall1 ,brittain2 ,saunders1 ,sampson2 ,sheldon1 ,cesar2 ,slave2 ,slave2 ,smith1 ,juba2 ,sweeling1 ,query2 ,talbot1 ,sigby2 ,tanner1 ,quam2 ,tillinghast1 ,cuff2 ,updike1 ,cesar2 ,updike1 ,moses2 ,vaughan1 ,prince2 ,vernon1 ,cato2 ,watson1 ,fortune2 ,wells1 ,cesar2 ,wickes1 ,nat2 and ,willbour1 ,boston4 #c4 ,congressional gold medal 7a7 ,award authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the award1 on behalf of the ,congress1 of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment1 collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during the ,revolutionary ,war4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for the purposes of the award referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7hereafter in this ,act referred to as the ,secretary7 shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,smithsonian institution 7#a7 ,in general ,following the award of the gold medal in honor of the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment of the ,revolutionary ,war under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph 7#a7 available for display elsewhere1 particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the ,first ,rhode ,island ,regiment of the ,revolutionary ,war4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,under such regulations as the ,secretary may prescribe1 the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section #c1 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 7b7 ,numismatic items ,for purposes of section #eacd of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4