In the first panel, Rep. Lewis, Senator Lincoln, and other members of the U.S. Capitol Slave Labor Task Force testified about the important part played by slaves in the construction of the U.S. Capitol 200 years ago. The task force has been studying the topic and reported last week to the House Administration Committee on topics such as the omission of slaves from the history of the building and the development of a fitting memorial. The second panel consisted of historians who talked about the history of slavery and their research into the role of both enslaved and free blacks in building the U.S. Capitol.