Former President George W. Bush on Saturday celebrated the opening of a new museum dedicated to African American history, where Bush said "it has always belonged: on the National Mall."

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Bush said that even though he did "not always see eye-to-eye" with Congress while president, "this was one issue where we strongly agreed."

"I was honored to sign the bill authorizing the construction of this national treasure," Bush said. "I am pleased it now stands where it has always belonged, on the National Mall."

Bush called the museum a symbol of the country's "commitment to truth."

"A great nation does not hide its history," he said. "It faces its flaws, and corrects them."

"This museum tells the truth that a country founded on the promise of liberty held millions in chains, that the price of our union was America's original sin."

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opens to the public on Saturday, more than 100 years after it was first proposed and 13 years after it was authorized by Congress.