111th Congress, 2nd Session
The Committee on Ways and Means
July 24, 1789
The Committee on Ways and Means is the oldest standing committee in the United States House of Representatives. Created as a select committee in the 1st Congress (1789–1791) on this date, the Committee on Ways and Means became a standing committee in the 4th Congress (1795–1797). Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania was the first chairman of the select committee. Although the committee was originally conceived to review matters of taxation and finance, the committee’s jurisdiction also covered revenue and spending bills and eventually extended to oversight of social welfare programs. The committee’s power expanded greatly during the Civil War, as it legislated the creation of the first national income tax and a national paper currency. Due to the committee's heavy workload, Chairman Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania delegated the new responsibilities to the subcommittees on revenue and banking and currency. According to the Bicentennial History of the Ways and Means Committee, Stevens pioneered the technique of parceling out committee business by jurisdiction and assigning Members with expertise on particular subjects to chair specific subcommittees. By 1865, the growing committee workload spurred the creation of two new standing committees: Appropriations and Banking and Currency.
Related Highlight Subjects
Cite this Highlight
Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=67, (December 07, 2010).For Additional Information
Office of History and Preservation(202) 226-1300
history@mail.house.gov
Subscribe to E-mail Updates
Sign up for monthly e-mail updates on House art and history.
Known as the “Great Leveler,” Thaddeus Stevens fought for the rights of the under-represented, “When I reflect how apt hereditary wealth, hereditary influence, and perhaps as a consequence, hereditary pride, are to close the avenues and steel the heart against the wants and rights of the poor, I am induced to thank my Creator for having, from early life, bestowed upon me the blessing of poverty.”
Collection of U.S. House of Representatives
Teaching Tip
Picture It!
Have students choose two or three photographs from different highlight dates. Before reading the historical highlight entries, ask students to analyze the photographs and write a brief description for each one. Then read the highlights aloud and ask students to explain the connection between the photograph and the entry for that particular date.
