,h4 ,,res4 #abec  ,in the ,house of     
,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41  ,december   
#aj1 #bjbj  ,,resolution  ,whereas      
,joseph ,hayne ,rainey was born enslaved
 on ,june #ba1 #ahcb1 in ,georgetown1   
,south ,carolina2 ,whereas ,south       
,carolina prohibited the education of   
,black ,americans1 and instead of a     
formal education1 ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey   
learned the barbering trade from his    
father1 ,edward ,rainey2 ,whereas       
,edward ,rainey used profits from his   
work as a barber to buy his and his     
family's freedom in the early #ahdj's2  
,whereas ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey eventually 
moved with his family to ,charleston1   
,south ,carolina2 ,whereas in #ahei1    
,joseph ,h4 ,rainey married his wife1   
,susan1 with whom he had three children1
 ,joseph1 ,herbert1 and ,olive2 ,whereas
 in #ahfa1 ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey was      
conscripted by the ,confederate ,army   
and worked as a ship's steward aboard a 
,confederate vessel which secretly      
carried goods to the ,union ,navy2      

,whereas during the ,civil ,war1 in     
#ahfb1 ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey and his wife 
and family escaped to ,bermuda1 a       
,british colony that had abolished      
slavery in #ahcd1 where he undertook    
successful entrepreneurial endeavors    
with his wife2 ,whereas in #ahff ,joseph
 ,rainey and his family moved back to   
,charleston1 ,south ,carolina after the 
,civil ,war had ended2 ,whereas ,joseph 
,h4 ,rainey co-founded the state        
,republican ,party and represented      
,georgetown1 ,south ,carolina on the    
,party's central committee2 ,whereas    
,joseph ,h4 ,rainey participated in the 
,south ,carolina ,state constitutional  
convention in #ahfh2 ,whereas ,joseph   
,h4 ,rainey won election to the ,house  
of ,representatives in #ahgj and was the
 first ,african ,american to serve in   
the ,house of ,representatives2 ,whereas
 ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey was sworn in as a  
member of the ,house of ,representatives
 on ,december #ab1 #ahgj1 to represent  
the #ast ,district of ,south ,carolina  

in the ,forty-,first ,congress2 ,whereas
 ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey became the first   
,african ,american to preside over the  
,house of ,representatives on ,april    
#bi1 #ahgd2 ,whereas ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey
 served with distinction on several     
committees1 including the ,committee on 
,freedmen's ,affairs1 the committee     
handling all legislation concerning     
formerly enslaved people2 ,whereas      
,joseph ,h4 ,rainey implored ,congress  
to provide more resources for education1
 calling for a federal1 publicly funded 
school system to develop the 8future    
lawmakers and rulers of our country02   
,whereas ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey spoke on   
the ,house floor in support of a #a     
million appropriation to protect voting 
rights in the ,south1 which was later   
approved2 ,whereas ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey  
called for decisive federal action to   
end widespread violence in the former   
,confederacy1 advocating for passage of 
the ,ku ,klux ,klan ,act of #ahga2      
,whereas ,joseph ,h4 ,rainey spoke      

extensively on the floor of the ,house  
of ,representatives about discrimination
 he faced as a sitting ,member of       
,congress1 advocating for a civil rights
 act to end discrimination on juries1 in
 schools1 on transportation1 and in     
public accommodations2 ,whereas ,joseph 
,h4 ,rainey departed the ,house of      
,representatives on ,march #c1 #ahgi1   
following electoral backlash against    
,reconstruction2 ,whereas ,joseph ,h4   
,rainey was the longest-serving ,african
 ,american ,member of ,congress during  
the ,reconstruction period2 ,whereas    
,joseph ,h4 ,rainey was appointed a     
special agent of the ,united ,states    
,department of the ,treasury in ,south  
,carolina in #ahgi following his        
,congressional service2 ,whereas ,joseph
 ,h4 ,rainey is now commemorated in the 
,united ,states ,capitol in an exhibit  
unveiled on ,december #d1 #bjbj1 by the 
,speaker of the ,house1 highlighting his
 legacy and the foundation he laid for  
generations of lawmakers2 and ,whereas  

the ,historian and the ,clerk of the    
,house of ,representatives published a  
historical record in ,september #bjbj   
entitled ,we ,are in ,earnest for ,our  
,rights3 ,rainey and the ,struggle for  
,reconstruction1 chronicling the legacy 
of ,representative ,joseph ,rainey3     
,now1 therefore1 be it ,that room       
,h-#aej of the ,united ,states ,capitol 
is designated as 8,the ,joseph ,h4      
,rainey ,room0 to honor the historic    
life1 career1 and legacy of             
,representative ,joseph ,rainey of      
,south ,carolina on the #aejth          
anniversary of his seating as a member  
of the ,house of ,representatives4      
,clerk4