Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information and is developed and maintained by the Library of Congress using data originated and owned by the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and…
Today in History–April 5–the Library of Congress features Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero, civil rights activist, and five-term U.S. Congressman who was born into slavery on this date in 1839. Conscripted to the Confederate Army, Smalls captained a small Black crew to hijack an ammunition transport and deliver it to the Union Army in 1862. Learn…
Victoria Woodhull was a woman suffrage and labor reform activist and the first female candidate for U.S. President. She ran on the Equal Right’s Party ticket in 1872 with Frederick Douglass as the Vice Presidential candidate, running against Republican president Ulysses S. Grant and Democratic candidate Horace Greeley. Victoria Woodhull historical newspaper coverage The Judiciary Committee of the…
Background & context The Electoral College – What Is It and How Does It Function? In Custodia Legis November 6, 2012 Electoral College Fast Facts US House of Representatives History, Art & Archives The Electoral College National Archives The Electoral College National Conference of State Legislators Research Guide: The Law of the Electoral College Contemporary…
The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has put together a list of resources for educators to help students understand, analyze, and respond to the upcoming State of the Union. The resources are divided into sections that include the following: Youth Perspectives, the Speech and Its Media Coverage, and Background…
The latest U.S. government shutdown, begun on December 22, 2018 and suspended on January 25, 2019 is the longest in history. Find out what happens during a government shutdown. Read news articles following the suspension of the shutdown. Review timelines of past shutdowns from various news sources. Investigate historical and current legislation related to U.S….
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. Learn more about this remarkable citizen by clicking the links below. Primary sources Jeanette Rankin image set “‘Wonder-Woman’ is Miss Jeannette Rankin; Will be First of Sex to Sit in Congress” Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), November 11, 1916 “I can’t vote…
In a Fox News interview with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Oct. 30, 2017, the former marine general said that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War”. Kelly’s statement set off a firestorm of impassioned responses across traditional and social media about the cause of the Civil War…
According to this ad, how could you get your free trip to Washington D.C.? How would you get to the U.S. capital from your home town today? How far is it? How much would it cost? What can you still see now that you could see then? What places would be on your list of…
Today in History–May 12–the Library of Congress features politician and historian Henry Cabot Lodge, born on this day in 1850. Lodge was a long-standing member of Congress, serving the state of Massachusetts as a U.S. representative from 1887 to 1893 and a U.S. senator from 1893 to 1924. This Republican statesman is perhaps best known for his staunch argument against U.S….
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