Subjects – Legislation
The Continental Congress agreed to declare independence from Great Britain
July 02, 1776
The Continental Congress agreed on this date to declare independence from Great Britain.
Speaker of the House John W. Taylor of New York
March 26, 1784
On this date, Speaker of the House John W. Taylor of New York was born in Charlton, New York.
The opening of the First Congress in New York City
March 04, 1789
The First Congress was scheduled to meet in New York City on this date, though it failed to achieve the quorum necessary to conduct business.
A Saturday session in the First Congress
May 16, 1789
On this date, the First Congress (1789–1791) met for a rare Saturday session.
The 27th Amendment
September 25, 1789
On this date, the First Congress (1789–1791) submitted the original 12 amendments to the Constitution, crafted by Representative James Madison of Virginia, to the states for ratification.
The interim federal capital in Philadelphia
December 06, 1790
On this date, the First Congress (1789–1791) convened in Philadelphia for the opening of its second session.
The Sedition Act of 1798
July 10, 1798
In one of the first tests of freedom of speech, the House passed the Sedition Act, permitting the deportation, fine, or imprisonment of anyone deemed a threat or publishing “false, scandalous, or malicious writing” against the government of the United States.
The first time the House met in the North wing of the Capitol
November 17, 1800
On this date, the House assembled for the first time in the North wing of the Capitol.
President Thomas Jefferson’s secret letter to Congress
January 18, 1803
On this date, President Thomas Jefferson sent a secret letter to Congress that requested financing for a transcontinental exploration that became the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804–1806.
The Committee on Public Lands
December 17, 1805
On this date, the House of Representatives created the Committee on Public Lands, to help Congress manage the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase Territory.
The Tariff of Abominations
April 22, 1828
On this day, the Tariff of 1828—better known as the Tariff of Abominations—passed the House of Representatives, 105 to 94.
Representative James Rapier of Alabama
November 13, 1837
On this date, African-American Representative James Rapier of Alabama was born free in Florence, Alabama.
Representative Robert Elliott of South Carolina
August 11, 1842
On this date, African-American Representative Robert Elliott of South Carolina was likely born to West Indian parents in Liverpool, England.
Representative James O’Hara of North Carolina
February 26, 1844
On this date, Representative James O’Hara of North Carolina was born in New York City.
The work of the 29th Congress
December 01, 1845
On this date, the 29th Congress (1845–1847) convened for a momentous two years dominated by war in the southwest
Representative Thetus Sims of Tennessee
April 25, 1852
On this date, Representative Thetus Sims of Tennessee was born in Waynesboro, Tennessee.
The Kansas–Nebraska Act
May 22, 1854
By a narrow vote of 113 to 100, the House of Representatives approved the Kansas–Nebraska Act on this date.
The Opening of the 34th Congress
December 03, 1855
On this date, Representatives badly divided over the slavery issue convened in the Old House Chamber (present-day Statuary Hall) to commence the 34th Congress (1855–1857).
The most infamous floor brawl in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives
February 06, 1858
The most infamous floor brawl in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives erupted as Members debated Kansas’s pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution late into the night of February 5-6. Shortly after 1 a.m., Pennsylvania Republican Galusha Grow and South Carolina Democrat Laurence Keitt exchanged insults, then blows.
William S. King of Minnesota was chosen as Postmaster of the House
July 05, 1861
On this date, future Representative William S. King of Minnesota was chosen as Postmaster of the House of Representatives.
A bill abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia
April 11, 1862
On this date, the House approved a bill abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia by a vote of 92 to 38.
The 13th Amendment
January 31, 1865
On this date, the House passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States.
The first African American to speak in the House Chamber
February 12, 1865
On this date, Preacher Henry Highland Garnet became the first African American to speak in the House Chamber when he addressed a crowd of worshippers.
The Civil Rights Bill of 1866
April 09, 1866
On this date, the House overrode President Andrew Johnson’s veto of the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 with near unanimous Republican support, 122 to 41, marking the first time Congress legislated upon civil rights.
The Committee on Education and Labor
March 21, 1867
On this day the House established the Committee on Education and Labor, with Representative John Baker of Illinois serving as its first chairman.
Impeachment efforts against President Andrew Johnson
June 03, 1867
On this date the House Committee on the Judiciary, by a vote of 5 to 4, refused to send impeachment articles against President Andrew Johnson to the full House.
The veto of the Omnibus Southern States Admission Bill
June 25, 1868
On this date, President Andrew Johnson submitted to Congress his veto of the Omnibus Southern States Admission Bill (H.R. 1058).
The first woman to address a congressional committee
January 11, 1871
On this date, Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to address a congressional committee.
Suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s petition to the 43rd Congress
January 22, 1874
On this date, suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s petition to the 43rd Congress (1873–1875) regarding a fine she received for illegal voting was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The Civil Rights Act of 1875
February 04, 1875
On this date, the House passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 by a vote of 162 to 99.
The annual Easter egg roll at the Capitol
April 21, 1876
On this date, the House of Representatives passed the Turf Protection Law, which effectively ended the traditional Easter Monday egg roll at the Capitol. Local schools closed each year on the day after Easter to allow children “to ramble at will on the fresh green grass” at the Capitol.
Representative Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts
March 19, 1881
Representative Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts, a renowned advocate for veterans and the longest-serving woman in congressional history, was born in Saco, Maine.
The McKinley Tariff of 1890
October 01, 1890
On this date, the McKinley Tariff of 1890 became law—boosting protective tariff rates of nearly 50, percent on average, for many American products.
The first Labor Day
June 28, 1894
On this date, President Grover Cleveland signed S. 730 into law declaring Labor Day as a national holiday. Since 1883, Labor Day had been celebrated at the local and state level.
Representative Katharine St. George of New York
July 12, 1894
On this date, Representative Katharine St. George of New York was born in Bridgnorth, England.
Representative Antonio Manuel Fernández of New Mexico
January 17, 1902
Antonio Manuel Fernández, the fourth Hispanic-American Representative elected to the House from New Mexico, was born on this date.
Speaker of the House Galusha Aaron Grow of Pennsylvania
March 31, 1907
Galusha Aaron Grow of Pennsylvania, Speaker of the House during the Civil War, died on this date.
Representative Augustus Freeman (Gus) Hawkins of California
August 31, 1907
On this date, Representative Augustus Freeman (Gus) Hawkins of California was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Representative Edith Starrett Green of Oregon
January 17, 1910
Representative Edith Starrett Green of Oregon was born on this date in Trent, South Dakota.
The 1911 House reapportionment
August 08, 1911
On this date, President William H. Taft signed legislation increasing the membership of the House from 391 to 433, with provisions to add two more Members when New Mexico and Arizona became states.
The ratification of the 16th Amendment
February 03, 1913
On this date, the states of Delaware, Wyoming, and New Mexico approved the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratifying it into law.
The first national celebration of Mother’s Day
May 11, 1913
On this date, the Members of the House of Representatives wore white carnations to honor American mothers in the first capital observance of Mother’s Day.
Funding the expansion of rural post roads
July 11, 1916
President Woodrow Wilson signed into law a measure “to provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads,” otherwise known as the Rural Post Roads Act of 1916.
President Woodrow Wilson’s Joint Session message appealing for the avoidance of a national railroad strike
August 29, 1916
On this date during the 64th Congress (1915–1917), President Woodrow Wilson addressed a Joint Session to discuss a looming national railroad crisis.
The House’s 1918 passage of a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote
January 10, 1918
The House passed a constitutional amendment granting Women in Congress the right to vote by a count of 274 to 136
The convening of the 66th Congress
May 19, 1919
On this date, 435 Members (plus 2 Delegates and 2 Resident Commissioners) gathered in the House Chamber for the opening of the 66th Congress (1919–1921).
The Volstead Act
October 28, 1919
On this date, the 66th Congress (1919–1921) overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto of the National Prohibition Act.
The 19th Amendment
August 26, 1920
On this date, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby proclaimed the 19th Amendment—extending the vote to women—ratified as part of the Constitution.
The Sheppard–Towner Maternity and Infancy Act
November 23, 1921
On this date, President Warren G. Harding signed the Sheppard–Towner Maternity and Infancy Act into law.
A bonus for World War I veterans
May 02, 1922
On this date, a Hearst newspaper truck from New York City delivered a petition to the Capitol bearing more than one million signatures in support of a bonus for World War I veterans.
The Immigration Act of 1924
April 12, 1924
On this date, the House passed the 1924 Immigration Act—a measure which was a legislative expression of the xenophobia, particularly towards eastern and southern European immigrants, that swept America in the decade of the 1920s.
The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929
June 11, 1929
On this date, the House passed the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, fixing the number of Representatives at 435.
The designation of the “Star-Spangled Banner”
March 03, 1931
On this date, President Herbert Hoover signed into law a bill that designated the “Star-Spangled Banner” as the National Anthem of the United States.
World War I veterans bonus bill
June 15, 1932
On this date, by a vote of 211 to 176, the House passed a $2.4 billion World War I veterans bonus bill sponsored by Wright Patman of Texas.
The first session of the 73rd Congress came to a close
June 16, 1933
Early in the morning on this date, the first session of the 73rd Congress came to a close.
The Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act of 1934
March 29, 1934
After hours of debate, the House passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act by a vote of 274 to 111 (with 47 Members not voting)—for the first time granting the President its traditional power to levy tariffs.
The 20th Amendment
January 03, 1935
On this date, the 74th Congress (1935–1937) became the first to convene for opening day in fulfillment of the requirements of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.
Soil Conservation in the New Deal Congress
April 27, 1935
As blistering heat sapped the American West of much-needed moisture, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act.
The Social Security Act of 1935
August 14, 1935
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law on this date.
A spirited debate involving the Tennessee Valley Authority Dam in the 74th Congress (1935–1937)
May 08, 1936
On this date in the 74th Congress (1935–1937), Members of the House of Representatives debated renaming a portion of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Chickamauga Dam after Congressman Samuel McReynolds of Tennessee.
The Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937
September 02, 1937
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as the Pittman–Robertson Act of 1937.
The Fair Labor Standards Act
June 25, 1938
The House passed the Fair Labor Standards Act—widely considered the final major piece of New Deal legislation.
The Lend-Lease Act of 1941
March 11, 1941
On this date, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Act—authorizing the President to sell, lease, or lend military hardware to any country he designated as vital to American national security.
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) Act
May 14, 1942
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) Act, which authorized a voluntary enrollment program for up to 150,000 women to join the U.S. Army in a noncombat capacity, was signed into law.
Representative Winifred Stanley of New York
June 19, 1944
On this date, during the 78th Congress (1943–1945), Congresswoman Winifred Stanley of New York introduced the first equal pay for equal work legislation.
The resolution to permit live radio broadcast of House proceedings
September 15, 1944
On this date, Representative John Coffee of Washington introduced H.J. Res. 311 which called for live radio broadcasts of House proceedings.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
August 02, 1946
President Harry S. Truman signed the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 into law on this day.
The National Security Act of 1947
July 26, 1947
Signed into law on this date, the National Security Act of 1947 incorporated disparate defense agencies under a comprehensive bureaucratic structure.
President Harry S. Truman's March 17, 1948 address to a Joint Session
March 17, 1948
On this date, President Truman, Harry S. addressed European security and condemned the Soviet Union before a hastily convened Joint Session of Congress.
President Harry S. Truman’s Fair Deal proposal to a Joint Session of Congress
January 05, 1949
President Harry S. Truman’s Fair Deal proposal to a Joint Session of Congress
The Mutual Security Act of 1951
October 10, 1951
On this date, the Mutual Security Act of 1951 was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
The legislation placing “In God We Trust” on national currency
July 11, 1955
On this date, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law H.R. 619, a bill that required that the inscription “In God We Trust” appear on all paper and coin currency.
Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., of New York re-election support of President Eisenhower
October 11, 1956
On this date, Democrat Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., of New York announced his campaign support of Republican presidential incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
June 18, 1957
On this date, the House of Representatives passed the initial version of what eventually became the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
The 24th Amendment
August 27, 1962
On this date in 1962, the House passed the 24th Amendment, outlawing the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections, by a vote of 295 to 86.
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress
November 27, 1963
On this date, Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a Joint Session of Congress for the first time as President of the United States.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
July 02, 1964
On this date, the House of Representatives passed the final version of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Majority Whip Hale Boggs’ support of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
July 09, 1965
On this date, Representative Hale Boggs of Louisiana took to the House Floor to make a stirring speech in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
August 03, 1965
On this date, by a vote of 328 to 74, the House approved the Voting Rights Act (VRA)—a landmark in the long civil rights movement.
The first Earth Day
April 22, 1970
Celebrations marking the inaugural Earth Day altered the House legislative calendar.
The Equal Rights Amendment
August 10, 1970
Representative Martha Griffiths of Michigan successfully released the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) from the Judiciary Committee and brought the legislation to the House Floor for a vote on this date.
Crime Control Act of 1970
October 15, 1970
On this date, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Crime Control Act of 1970 (also known as the Organized Crime Act), a measure aimed at the mafia and other crime syndicates.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970
October 26, 1970
On this date, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 into law.
The first electronic vote
January 23, 1973
On this date, at the start of the 93rd Congress (1973–1975), the House held its first electronic vote.
The War Powers Resolution
October 24, 1973
Labeling the bill “unconstitutional and dangerous,” President Richard M. Nixon vetoed the War Powers Resolution on this date.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973
December 28, 1973
On this date, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law.
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
July 12, 1974
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was signed into law, creating the House Budget Committee, on this date.
The Hansen and Bolling Report
October 08, 1974
On this date, by a vote of 203 to 165, the House of Representatives passed the Hansen Committee report, one of the chamber’s significant internal reforms of the 1970s.
The Freedom of Information Act
November 21, 1974
On this date, the House overwhelmingly overrode President Gerald R. Ford’s veto of an expansion of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 371 to 31.
The Veterans Day (Armistice Day) holiday
November 11, 1978
On this date, the nation returned to celebrating Veterans Day (Armistice Day) on November 11.
The resignation of Representative Harold Washington of Illinois
April 30, 1983
On this date, Congressman Harold Washington of Illinois resigned from the House of Representatives to become mayor of Chicago.
The creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
November 02, 1983
President Ronald W. Reagan signed into law a bill to create a national holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Congressional override of a veto by President Ronald Reagan
March 22, 1988
On this date, by a vote of 292 to 133, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in overriding President Ronald Reagan’s veto of S. 557.
Representative Leonor Sullivan of Missouri
September 01, 1988
On this date, Representative Leonor Sullivan of Missouri died in St. Louis.
House passage of the 1991 resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq
January 12, 1991
On this date, the House passed a resolution authorizing President George H.W. Bush to use military force against Iraq, 250 to 183.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
August 21, 1994
On this date, the House of Representatives passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355 by a vote of 235 to 195.