Image Gallery
Cherokee Protest of the New Echota Treaty (1836)
The Cherokee who did not support the New Echota Treaty, which stripped the tribe of their land and rights and eventually led to the Trail of Tears, sent this petition to the Senate in 1836. The language and eloquence of the petition suggests that the Cherokee had adapted American ways and embraced American education.
Protest of the New Echota Treaty by the Cherokee people of the Aquohee and Taquohee Districts, 1836, first page. President's messages relating to treaties with the Cherokees (SEN 24B-C4), 24th Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate.
Cherokee Protest of the New Echota Treaty (1836)
The second page contains the names of the petitioners in the Cherokee language.
Protest of the New Echota Treaty by the Cherokee people of the Aquohee and Taquohee Districts, 1836, 2nd page. President's messages relating to treaties with the Cherokees (SEN 24B-C4), 24th Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate.
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill (1832)
The signature page concludes Jackson's message.
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill, July 10, 1832 page 41; (SEN 22A-E8); 22nd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill (1832)
President Jackson's veto of the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States in 1832 was the opening salvo to what became known as the Bank War-a struggle between those who supported and opposed a national banking system.
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill, July 10, 1832 page 1; (SEN 22A-E8) 22nd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill (1832)
This page of Jackson's veto message expresses his view that the "rich and powerful" should not receive special privileges from the government. This striking defense of the "common man" defined the new era of Jacksonianism and the emerging Democratic Party.
President Jackson's Veto of the Bank Recharter Bill, July 10, 1832 page 39; (SEN 22A-E8) 22nd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
Henry Clay's Resolutions on the Removal of Deposits from the Bank of the U.S., December 23, 1833
Senator Henry Clay was appalled when President Andrew Jackson removed the public deposits from the Bank of the United States without consulting Congress. In December 1833 he introduced resolutions to censure the President and Secretary of the Treasury Roger B. Taney for their actions relating to the removal of the deposits. The censure accused the President of assuming powers not granted to him by the Constitution. The Senate amended these resolutions before passing them in March 1834.
Henry Clay's Resolutions on the Removal of Deposits from the Bank of the U.S., December 23, 1833; (SEN 23A-B9); 23rd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
The Expungement of Censure Resolution from Senate Journal (1837)
Senator Thomas Hart Benton was finally successful in his effort to "expunge" the censure resolution of President Jackson from the official record in January 1837. This document shows the March 28, 1834 Senate Journal page with the censure resolution circled and marked "expunged." For more information, visit the Senate Historical Office website.
Expungement of the Resolution Censuring President Jackson, January 16, 1837, in the Senate Journal of the 23rd Congress, 1st session dated March 28, 1834; Senate Journal (SEN 23A-A2), Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate.
Wilmot Proviso (1846)
Representative David Wilmot introduced this amendment in 1846 during a debate over a bill to fund the Mexican War. It prohibited slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. Wilmot hoped to use Congress's constitutional power of the purse to prevent the diffusion of slavery during the nation's westward expansion. This amendment passed in the House but failed in the Senate. The Wilmot Proviso was reintroduced several more times in subsequent years, but was never enacted.
Wilmot Proviso, amendment to H.R. 534, August 8, 1846. Original House Bills (HR 29A-B1), 29th Congress, Library of Congress Collection; Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Map of the United States including Western Territories (1848)
This map accompanied President James K. Polk's annual message to Congress in December 1848. It represents Polk's conception as a Southern Democrat of how to divide up the new territory acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. It became the starting point of debates in Congress over slavery and westward expansion.
1848 Map that accompanied President James K. Polk's annual message to Congress, December 5, 1848 (HR 30D-C4); 30th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Testimony on the Assault of Senator Charles Sumner (1856)
This testimony explains why Representative Preston Brooks caned Charles Sumner in the Senate in 1856. More information is available on the Senate Historical Office website.
Testimony of Governor A.G. Brown to Senate Select Committee on the Assault of Senator Charles Sumner, page 1. S. Rpt. 191, 28 May 1856 (HR 34A-D24.5), 34th Congress, Library of Congress Collection, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Testimony on the Assault of Senator Charles Sumner (1856)
This testimony explains why Representative Preston Brooks caned Charles Sumner in the Senate in 1856. More information is available on the Senate Historical Office website.
Testimony of Governor A.G. Brown to Senate Select Committee on the Assault of Senator Charles Sumner, page 2. S. Rpt. 191, 28 May 1856 (HR 34A-D24.5), 34th Congress, Library of Congress Collection, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson (1868)
On February 21, 1868, this resolution to impeach President Andrew Johnson was written on a scrap of paper and introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three days later the House voted 128-47 to adopt the resolution.
Resolution of impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, February 21, 1868; House simple resolutions (HR 40A-B4); 40th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, endorsement (1868)
The endorsement provides more information about a document and is usually found on the back of the document. In this case, the endorsement of the impeachment resolution for Andrew Johnson indicates it was introduced by Representative John Covode (R-PA) on February 21, 1868.
Resolution of impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, February 21, 1868; House simple resolutions (HR 40A-B4); 40th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Senate Credentials of Hiram Rhodes Revels, January 25, 1870
Senators must provide proof they have been duly chosen to serve in the U.S. Senate. This document certifies the selection of Hiram Rhodes Revels as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. Revels was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate.
Senate Credentials of Hiram Rhodes Revels, January 25, 1870; (SEN 41A-J1); 41st Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
Child Labor Pamphlet, 1913
This pamphlet was submitted as evidence to the House Committee on the District of Columbia. The committee was investigating child labor in the nation's capitol.
Child Labor Pamphlet; (HR 63A-D5); 63rd Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
Petition from Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in support of Woman Suffrage, July 12, 1874
Petitions account for over half the total volume of the unpublished records of Congress before 1900. Here is one of many petitions from Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony asking Congress from woman suffrage.
Petition from Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in support of Woman Suffrage, July 12, 1874; (SEN 43A-H20); 40th Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate
Memo on Naturalization of Alien Servicemen (ca. 1951)
America's armed forces have always attracted both U.S. citizens as well as immigrants from abroad. At several moments in our history, such as this example from the Korean Conflict, joining the military could expedite an immigrant's path to citizenship.
Memo to Judiciary Subcommittee Chairman Francis E. Walter on H.R. 401, Papers accompanying specific bills (HR 82A-D11), 82nd Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Draft of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
On the evening of August 4, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson addressed the nation in a televised speech in which he stated that U.S. ships had been attacked twice in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin near North Vietnam. The following morning, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was introduced in the Senate. Although the version shown here is the original draft resolution, the language was not amended and therefore reads the same as the final version that was signed into law August 7, 1964.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, as introduced, S.J. Res. 189, August 5, 1964, page 1. Original Senate Joint Resolutions, Bills and resolutions originating in the Senate (SEN 88A-B2), 88th Congress; Record Group 46, Records of the United States Senate.
Draft of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
For more information about the Vietnam Conflict, visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library website.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, as introduced, S.J. Res. 189, August 5, 1964, page 2. Original Senate Joint Resolutions, Bills and resolutions originating in the Senate (SEN 88A-B2), 88th Congress; Record Group 46, Records of the United States Senate.
Photograph of the ruins of Mt. Pleasant Society Hall, Gluckstadt, Mississippi (1964)
This photograph, taken after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, demonstrates why the Voting Rights Act was an essential supplement to the law passed the previous year. CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) is a civil rights group active in voter registration.
Photograph of the ruins of Mt. Pleasant Society Hall, Gluckstadt, Mississippi, destroyed by fire on 11 August 1964. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, Voting Rights Act of 1965, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Letter from George Neu opposed to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (1965)
As a concerned citizen, George Neu writes to the House Judiciary Committee to express his belief that the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional.
Letter from George Neu to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee against the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 26 March 1965. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Letter from Mrs. E. Jackson in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (1965)
Mrs. Jackson wrote to the House Judiciary Committee the day after Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. She was reacting to scenes of police brutality during a voting rights march that many Americans witnessed on television news programs.
Letter from Mrs. E. Jackson in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 8 March 1965, page 1. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Letter from Mrs. E. Jackson in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (1965)
Mrs. Jackson wrote to the House Judiciary Committee the day after Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. She was reacting to scenes of police brutality during a voting rights march that many Americans witnessed on television news programs.
Letter from Mrs. E. Jackson in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 8 March 1965, page 2. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Statement of Congressman John Conyers, Jr. on H.R. 6400, the Voting Rights Act (1965)
Congressman John Conyers was the only African American member of the House Judiciary Committee when it was considering the Voting Rights Act. In addition to questioning witnesses as a member of the committee, he also testified before it. In this statement he states that Congress must protect voting rights before Americans lose faith in the justice of American government.
Statement of Congressman John Conyers, Jr. on H.R. 6400, the Voting Rights Act, 1 April 1965, page 1. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Statement of Congressman John Conyers, Jr. on H.R. 6400, the Voting Rights Act (1965)
Congressman John Conyers was the only African American member of the House Judiciary Committee when it was considering the Voting Rights Act. In addition to questioning witnesses as a member of the committee, he also testified before it. In this statement he states that Congress must protect voting rights before Americans lose faith in the justice of American government.
Statement of Congressman John Conyers, Jr. on H.R. 6400, the Voting Rights Act, 1 April 1965, page 2. Judiciary Committee, Legislative Files, House Bills, H.R. 6400, 89th Congress, Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
S. 518 (1973)
S. 518, An Act to abolish the offices of the Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
S. 518, front. Vetoed bills and veto messages, 93rd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate.
Attempted Override of Nixon's Veto of S. 518 (1973)
The reverse side of the bill shows the attempts by the Senate and House to override Nixon's veto.
S. 518, back. Vetoed bills and veto messages, 93rd Congress, Record Group 46, Records of the U.S. Senate.
War Powers Resolution (1973)
The War Powers Resolution was Congress's controversial attempt to define the constitutional separation of the war powers between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Passed over President Nixon's veto, the resolution was one of several concurrent struggles (Vietnam Conflict, Watergate) between branches over the balance of power.
War Powers Resolution, H.J. Res. 542, November 7, 1973, page 1. 93rd Congress, Record Group 11, Records of the U.S. General Government.
War Powers Resolution (1973)
The War Powers Resolution was Congress's controversial attempt to define the constitutional separation of the war powers between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Passed over President Nixon's veto, the resolution was one of several concurrent struggles (Vietnam Conflict, Watergate) between branches over the balance of power.
War Powers Resolution, H.J. Res. 542, November 7, 1973, page 2. 93rd Congress, Record Group 11, Records of the U.S. General Government.
