Educational Resources

This page features materials designed to help teachers and students use the information presented in the oral histories on this Web site in their classrooms. It includes lesson plans and activities, as well as teaching tips. A list of online educational resources also is included.

Lesson Plans

House History Comes Alive [PDF]
In this lesson, students have the opportunity to learn more about the House of Representatives through the firsthand recollections of longtime employees, Pages, eyewitnesses to historic events, and family of former Members intimately connected to the institution.

Online Resources

Online Biographical Directory of the United States
Searchable database that contains biographical information on every person who served in Congress.

Black Americans in Congress
This Web site, based on the book Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007, contains biographical profiles of former African-American Members of Congress, links to information about current black Members, essays on institutional and national events that shaped successive generations of African Americans in Congress, and images of each individual Member, supplemented by other historical photos.

ClerkOfTheHouse YouTube Channel
Visit the official House of Representatives YouTube channel dedicated to the Office of the Clerk. Videos include “Florence Kahn Congressional Widow to Trailblazing Lawmaker” and excerpts from interviews conducted by the Office of History and Preservation as part of the Oral History of the House project.

U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, Art & History
Includes information on the history and art of the U.S. House of Representatives such as weekly historical highlights, the evolution of the Old Hall of the House, the Centennial of the Cannon House Office Building, party divisions, congressional apportionment, leadership and officers, and significant events.

Women in Congress
Includes information based on the book Women in Congress, 1917–2006, such as biographical profiles of former women Members of Congress, links to information about current women Members, essays on the institutional and national events that shaped successive generations of Congresswomen, images of each woman Member, and educational resources.

Senate Historical Office
Includes information on the history and art of the U.S. Senate such as milestones, historical statistics, featured biographies, oral histories, and a photographic collection.

Library of Congress/THOMAS
Searchable database of congressional legislation from 1973 to present (bill text and roll call votes are available 1989 to present).

GPO Access
Includes links for searchable databases of the Congressional Record and House Journal (1994 to present) as well as information on how to find the nearest federal depository library.

Oral History Association
The Oral History Association, established in 1966, seeks to bring together all persons interested in oral history as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories to foster knowledge and human dignity.