and once we heard their call, it was easeasy, very easy to take heed. through the unveiling of this marker today, we final ly lamen countless and nameless souls to rest. we honor the work, the dedication, the art, the imagination and the contribution of men and women in chains who help us even at this hour to signify, to make whole, the u.s. capitol as our temple of liberty. [ applause ] >> i'd like to thank my house colleague from fwa georgia, the honorable john lewis as well as my dear friend, former senate colleague from arkansas blanche lincoln for spearheading this long overduhe honor. it is one of the great sad ironies of american history that the foundation of our capitol in which we have debated essential questions of liberty and even decided who was free and who was not was laid by those in bondage. we don't know much about them. and the scant records that were kept, only a few first names survive next to those of their owners. along with the sums paid for their back breaking work. but we do know this. they labored in the hot sun and cold wind