United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives

Carnation Nation

by Art on August 28, 2013

It was the opening day of Congress, and all the popular men had flowers on their desks. “Floral tributes,” enormous congratulatory bouquets, made their way into the House Chamber on the first day of each session of Congress from the 1870s until 1905. Pages and messengers staggered in with vase after vase.

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Categories: House Chamber, Opening Day, House Practice & Traditions

Picking Sides: Loyalists in the Legislature

by History on August 23, 2013

When the Second Continental Congress convened in 1775, firebrands including Samuel Adams of Massachusetts and Patrick Henry of Virginia steered the 13 colonies of the United States toward a complete break with Great Britain. But that sentiment wasn’t universally shared a year earlier by members of the First Continental Congress. Grievances against British government policies were rife in the session which met in 1774, but some, notably Isaac Low of New York and Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania, counseled against fully separating from the British Empire.

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Categories: Continental Congress, People

Weathering Washington by Watching the Weather

by History on August 14, 2013

Before there were smart phones equipped with weather apps, news anchors in front of green screens, or radar for tracking storms, Members of the House still wanted the latest weather forecasts. The staff at the U.S. Weather Bureau (later the National Weather Service) satisfied this need to know with the only map the agency’s staff personally drew outside its headquarters. And for a century, the weather map in the Members' Retiring Room—just outside the House Chamber—became a social nexus for Members and House staff alike, many of whom wanted to know the conditions back home.

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Categories: House Chamber, House Practice & Traditions

Edition for Educators – Congress in Wartime

by History on August 8, 2013

The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war and maintain and fund the armed forces. From the harrowing night in 1814 when war arrived on the Capitol’s doorstep to the war on terror, the House and its Members have been key players in wartime decisions.

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Categories: Education, War

Room Service in the Clink: The Case of the Consumptive Witness

by History on August 1, 2013

The power to investigate is a central role played by Congress. House committees often call witnesses to testify in order to oversee the administration of government, to educate public opinion, and to inform the process of crafting new legislation. Occasionally, when the House weighs contempt-of-Congress charges against uncooperative witnesses, the Historian’s Office receives the question: where have contumacious witnesses, placed in the custody of the Sergeant at Arms, been imprisoned?

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Categories: House Practice & Traditions, Institution

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov