United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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“The House of Representatives, in some respects, I think, is the most peculiar assemblage in the world,” Speaker Joe Cannon of Illinois once observed. Behind the legislation and procedure, House Members and staff have produced their own institutional history and heritage. Our blog, Whereas: Stories from the People’s House, tells their stories.

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Displaying 85–96 of 404 results

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Don’t Go Back to Danville: Joe Cannon’s Hidden Trunk

by Archives on December 28, 2012
thompson_cannon_trunk
Without evidence, such as records, important pieces of information are lost to history. How many times have you read or listened to a fascinating story that started with the words, “Recently discovered records revealed that . . . ”? Although the Antiques Roadshow–style discovery of a rare collection of documents in a dumpster is unusual, occasionally great finds are made in dark, dusty corners of long-forgotten spaces.
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Categories: Speakers of the House, Records & Research

Don’t Miss the Boat

by Archives on June 21, 2016
Representatives Travel by Boat to the Jefferson Islands Club
Attempting to unite his splintering party and create legislative harmony, President Roosevelt invited Representatives, Senators, and Cabinet members to a weekend picnic in June 1937. FDR hoped to use a party to unify his party.
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Categories: Members of Congress, Presidents, Photographs

Dreams Can Come True

by Oral History on June 18, 2019
Clerk Donnald K. Anderson’s 35-year career in the U.S. House began somewhat improbably before he was even old enough to vote.
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Categories: Congressional Staff, Interviews

Early Hispanic Americans in House Records

by Archives on October 6, 2017

As the United States expanded westward over the course of the 19th century, many new people became part of the country. The role of these new residents increased, although not without challenges. House records document these early events and the journey of Hispanic Americans in what became the Southwest United States, and in Congress.

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Categories: Members of Congress, Women & Minorities on the Hill, Records & Research

East from the Capitol

by Art on November 18, 2019
Looking East from the Capitol Stereoview
Photographers hauled their equipment to the top of the Capitol's giant new cast-iron dome and captured the city as it transformed from Civil War chaos to Gilded Age glamour. This 1875 image showed a city that still looked something less than glamorous.
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Categories: Capitol Campus, Artifacts

Edition for Educators—African-American Congressmen in the 19th Century

by History on February 18, 2015
Robert Smalls of South Carolina
Robert Smalls fought for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives despite violence from the opposition, and focused his congressional career on promoting African-American civil rights. Twenty-two African-Americans served in Congress from 1870 to 1901. Learn more about the life and accomplishments of Robert Smalls and other 19th-century African-American Members of Congress for Black History Month.
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Categories: Members of Congress, Women & Minorities on the Hill, Edition for Educators, Rainey Sesquicentennial

Edition for Educators—Asian Pacific Heritage Month

by History on May 10, 2016
Norman Mineta spent nearly four years of his childhood in internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. First elected in 1974, Mineta served 11 terms in the House of Representatives and worked to hold the legislative process accountable and address the mistakes of the past. Learn more about the efforts and accomplishments of Mineta and other Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress for Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
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Categories: Members of Congress, Women & Minorities on the Hill, Edition for Educators

Edition for Educators – Back to School

by History on September 5, 2013
Whether weighing in on the 1875 Civil Rights Bill or advocating Title IX of the 1972 Higher Education Act, Members of the House have been champions of American education.
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Categories: Edition for Educators

Edition for Educators—Black Americans in Congress in their Own Words

by History on February 26, 2016
Since 1870, more than 130 African Americans have served in the House. Some, like Joseph Rainey of South Carolina or Adam Clayton Powell of New York, left an enduring mark on the institution through historic firsts and groundbreaking legislation.
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Categories: Members of Congress, Women & Minorities on the Hill, Interviews, Edition for Educators

Edition for Educators—Black History Month: African-American Congressmen in Committee

by History on February 22, 2016
The institution of Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s sharply limited the number of African Americans elected to Congress until passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. As voting reforms led to greater black political participation and more African-Americans being elected to Congress, Black Members began to establish seniority sufficient to attain chairmanships and better committee assignments.
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Categories: Members of Congress, Women & Minorities on the Hill, Committees, Edition for Educators

Edition for Educators—Bon Appétit

by History on January 20, 2016
This month’s Edition for Educators features epicurean culture in the House of Representatives, both the mouth-watering and the gut-wrenching.
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Categories: Capitol Campus, Edition for Educators

Edition for Educators—Burning of the Capitol

by History on August 20, 2014
U.S. Capitol after burning by the British
This month's Edition for Educators focuses on the War of 1812 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the burning of the U.S. Capitol on August 24, 2014.
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Categories: Edition for Educators, War
Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov