US Capitol Historical Society

The US Capitol Historical Society is a 501(c)3 founded in 1962 & chartered by Congress in 1978 to educate the public on the history & heritage of the US Capitol

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history 1860 Lincoln was elected #POTUS. “We cannot tell yet what historical lesson the event…will teach” a supporter wrote, “but the lesson cannot fail to be weighty.” True. 7 states seceded by his inauguration. And Lincoln proved himself—perhaps—our greatest President

[The Pew Trusts @pewtrusts]

What helps democracy endure?

The short answer: All of us.

Roswell Encina of @CapitolHistory & Kelly Richards of @FreeLibrary stopped by Pew to talk about how free expression, exchanging ideas, & healthy disagreement can help sustain democracy as we look toward the next 250 yrs.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in 1940, FDR became the only #POTUS in #history elected to a 3rd term. It came in the aftermath of the Depression, breaking a century and a half precedent set by #GeorgeWashington. In time, FDR would win a 4th term, leading Americans to call for—and achieve—a two-term limit

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in 1783 the #USArmy disbanded. 7 years prior “The fate of unborn millions,” Washington predicted, depended “on the courage & conduct of this army.” Now the men returned home having witnessed “Events which have seldom, if ever before, taken place on the stage of human action”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

We asked ourselves what some congressional figures would've dressed up as for Halloween..

Let us know what you think in the comments! Happy Halloween!

#HalloweenCostumes #SpookySeason #Halloween

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in 1735, #JohnAdams was born. Skeptical of his place in #history, he predicted that “Mausoleums, statues, monuments will never be erected to me.” Instead, the greatest monument in his honor is the nation he helped to forge.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD is #history 1929 the US plunged toward depression as billions were lost & thousands bankrupted. “It came with a speed & ferocity that left men dazed” a reporter witnessed. “The animal roar that rises from the floor of the Stock Exchange…became louder, anguished, terrifying”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1962, the #CubanMissileCrisis effectively ended. “For, in the final analysis,” #JFK later said, “our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1797, the USS Constitution was launched 3 years after #Congress commissioned her for the #USNavy. Today “Old Ironsides” is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, a reminder of her strength and resilience—and that of the nation she once fought for.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began. #JFK’s message was clear: “Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right—not #peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OnThisDay in 1814, Congress voted to keep the United States capital in Washington D.C., after the British burned almost all federal buildings a month prior.

Congress met temporarily from 1815-1819 in the Old Brick Capitol, where the Supreme Court stands today.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1774, the Continental #Congress denounced Britain’s Intolerable Acts. The petition was addressed to the King, though he did not reply. Instead, he offered the stunningly accurate assessment: “We must either master them or totally leave them to themselves.”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was elected as the first female Hispanic Member of Congress in 1989!

Read her reflections on Hispanic Heritage Month and her incredible career on our website: https://t.co/AqUE84wCSJ.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as #SCOTUS’ 1st black Justice. 13 years prior, Marshall argued Brown v. Board, tolling the death knell for “separate but equal.” Thus, upon his nomination, #POTUS Johnson noted, “I believe he has already earned his place in #history.”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1924, Jimmy Carter was born. He’d later become #POTUS. But it was his legacy outside of office that earned him the Nobel #Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts” & “advance #democracy & human rights”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history 1789, #Congress passed the Judiciary Act, creating the federal court system. Justice Marshall later argued it’s “emphatically the province…of the Judicial Dept. to say what the law is,” making it clear: “A legislative act contrary to the Constitution is not law”

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history 1862, #AbrahamLincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. In so doing, he set #America on its righteous path toward eradicating its greatest moral inconsistency, recalibrating the Civil War from a struggle to save the Union—into one to save its soul

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1857, William H. Taft was born. As President, he felt like a “fish out of water.” When asked if he liked his job, he said he “would rather be Chief Justice.” He later received his wish, becoming the only person to serve as both #POTUS & Chief Justice of #SCOTUS.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1858, the first of seven Lincon-Douglas debates was held in #Illinois. At the debates’ end, Sen. Douglas was reelected. But it was Lincoln who transformed into a rising national star. In other words, he lost the battle—but more consequentially—would win The War.

[US Capitol Historical Society @CapitolHistory]

#OTD in #history, 1790, the Tariff Act established the #CoastGuard: at the time, the #USA’s only armed maritime force. Hamilton thus instructed the new officers to “take the oath to support the #Constitution” and to “always keep in mind that their countrymen are freemen.”