Happy Women's History Month! As we near the end of March, let's continue to honor women's incredible contributions and achievements throughout history. We invite you to join us in celebrating by watching the Society's videos and engaging with our resources about women's history. | |
Women in the Capitol
Celebrate Women's History Month with the latest volume of The Capitol Dome magazine! Explore the pioneering achievements of sculptor Elisabet Ney and the inspiring story behind the Portrait Monument to the women's suffrage movement. This volume sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of women in shaping history, art, and democracy.
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Watch Our Women's History Videos | | |
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2020 Symposium:
100 Years of Women Voting
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Teaching the Constitution through Theater:
Beautiful Agitators
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2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The play “Beautiful Agitators,” written by Aallyah Wright, Jessica James, Charles Coleman, and Nick Houston and directed by Jennifer Welch, focuses on an unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement, Vera Mae Pigee. A Mississippi hair stylist and business owner, Pigee operated her salon by day and transformed her beauty parlor into a clandestine center for Delta-based organization and resistance at night. | | |
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Our corresponding lesson plans ask students to act out scenes from the play and participate in thoughtful teacher-led discussions. There are currently two full-length plays available for classroom use on the We The People Hub: | |
Honoring the Women of National Statuary Hall
On March 29, 2023, the Society hosted a program to honor the statues of women in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. Dr. Michele Cohen, the Curator of the Architect of the Capitol, presented the history of women's representation in the Capitol. We invite you to watch C-SPAN's recording of Dr. Cohen's insightful presentation to celebrate the Women of the National Statuary Hall Collection.
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Interpreting Divisive Historic Monuments
with Celebrity Historian Raffi Andonian
(Webinar) Thursday, April 4th, from 12 pm to 1 pm ET
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Join us for a thought-provoking webinar with Celebrity Historian Raffi Andonian as we explore the controversial history of Confederate monuments in the United States.
Despite ongoing efforts, statues honoring individuals who served the Confederacy, including Jefferson Davis and Alexander Hamilton Stephens, still stand in the U.S. Capitol. Advocates have called for their removal, with several replacements already approved or in progress, such as Johnny Cash replacing Uriah Milton Rose from Arkansas and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune replacing Edmund Kirby Smith from Florida. Efforts are also underway to replace Robert E. Lee's statue, removed in 2020 (image below), with a statue of Barabra Rose Johns from Virginia.
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Debates surrounding Confederate monuments often raise fundamental questions about our national identity, what values we prioritize, and which historical figures we choose to honor. These monuments represent a particular interpretation of history, often symbolizing complex and painful aspects of our nation's past, including racism, inequality, and the legacy of the Civil War and slavery.
During our webinar, Raffi Andonian will provide an open-ended framework for understanding and evaluating historic sites, figures, and symbols, encouraging an informed dialogue about the significance of Confederate monuments and what they represent to us.
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Raffi Andonian is TV’s “Celebrity Historian” with 100+ guest appearances on ABC-CBS-FOX-NBC stations across the country. He is also the author of three history books, including Creating Space for Conflicted Histories, an Amazon best-seller. He is the producer and host of an AppleTV show, Clio The Muse, which encourages viewers to “challenge the present by inquiring the past.”
Raffi has spoken at Oxford, Cambridge, NASDAQ, humanities councils, and universities across the country. He also teaches at the college level at Harris Stowe State University (HBCU) and for the public through the North Dakota Humanities Council. Raffi began his career at the Gettysburg battlefield, Richmond Civil War sites, the Martin Luther King childhood home, and Los Alamos, NM, where the atomic bomb was created. Today, he leads private tours and an employee engagement program. He serves as President of the St. George Tucker Society, an academic association for the study of the U.S. South.
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Exploring the 17th Amendment:
The Journey to Direct Senate Elections
*NEW DATE*
(Webinar) Thursday, April 11th, from 12 pm to 1 pm ET
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Join us for our upcoming webinar on the 17th Amendment as part of our ongoing Constitutional Amendment Series. We are honored to have Katherine A. Scott, PhD from the U.S. Senate Historical Office lead our webinar on the 17th Amendment and its critical role in transforming American democracy and governance. | |
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Ratified on April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment represents a significant shift from the framers' original vision of a state legislature-elected Senate to one directly elected by the people. The direct election of senators corrected significant flaws in the political system, making the Senate more responsive, representative, and less susceptible to legislative stalemates, corruption, and special interests. The 17th Amendment not only made the Senate more democratic but also reflects the Constitution's dynamic nature in adapting to society's needs and demands.
Dr. Scott will detail the Amendment's journey, its immediate and enduring effects on American electoral politics, and its role in reshaping the dynamics between state and federal powers.
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Katherine Scott, PhD is the U.S. Senate Historian. She joined the Senate Historical Office in 2010 after receiving her Ph.D. in American political history from Temple University. Scott conducts research, writes content, and develops customized talks and tours for senators, staff, and special Senate guests. She is currently editing the executive sessions of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 1969-1975, and conducting oral histories with long-serving Senate staff to document change in the institution over time. She is the author of Reining in the State: Civil Society and Congress in the Vietnam and Watergate Eras (2013), as well as articles, essays, and chapters related to U.S. political history.
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Under the Dome with the 10th Architect of the Capitol, Alan Hantman
(Webinar) Thursday, April 25, at 12:00 p.m. ET
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The domed U.S. Capitol Building is recognized worldwide as America’s most iconic symbol, the forum for representative democracy, and the physical stage for transferring executive power.
Join us on Thursday, April 25, for an exciting webinar featuring Alan Hantman, the 10th Architect of the Capitol from 1997 to 2007, to discuss his upcoming book, "Under the Dome: Politics, Crisis, and Architecture at the United States Capitol." Together, we'll explore how the Capitol building underwent numerous renovations and expansions under Hantman's guidance as the official entrusted with preserving and enhancing this historic landmark and the surrounding grounds of Capitol Hill.
Hantman will offer a personal account of the Capitol's physical space, the individuals involved in its management, and how politicians perceive the Capitol Building. We'll hear firsthand about the decision-making process behind Capitol security, including how he handled security threats such as the 1998 shooting of two police officers and the Capitol evacuation on 9/11.
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Alan M. Hantman, FAIA, was appointed Architect of the Capitol for a 10-year term in 1997. As Architect of the Capitol, Hantman created detailed valuations and master plans for each of the nine jurisdictions under the responsibility of the Architect of the Capitol, providing an overall road map for phased renovations and growth, including plans for the restoration of the U.S. Capitol’s cast-iron Dome.
Hantman oversaw the detailed design and construction of the 580,000-square-foot Capitol Visitor Center which increased the size of the U.S. Capitol by 70 percent. During his tenure, Hantman also oversaw the complete reconstruction and expansion of the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory, the Capitol Power Plant, and the design and construction of the National Garden.
Hantman initiated the renovation of the Supreme Court Building and projects for the Library of Congress, including the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation. He also improved life safety and security measures across the Capitol campus. He holds degrees in architecture and city planning from the City College and the City University of New York, respectively, and previously served as Vice President of Planning at Rockefeller Center Management Corporation.
Bio and photo courtesy of aoc.gov.
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Sedition Hunters:
How January 6th Broke the Justice System
| Watch our recent webinar featuring author and NBC reporter Ryan Reilly where we discussed his latest book, "Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System," a compelling exploration into the unprecedented events that unfolded on January 6th, 2021. Reilly provides insights into the complex dynamics at play in the aftermath of that day and the ongoing challenges to the American justice system. | |
In this book, Ryan Reilly gets to know would-be revolutionaries, obsessive online sleuths, and FBI agents and shines a light on a justice system straining to maintain order in our polarized country.
Ryan J. Reilly is a Justice reporter for NBC News. Previously, he was the senior justice reporter for HuffPost, where he covered the Justice Department and the FBI for more than a decade.
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The CIA, FBI, Mafia, & the Kennedys:
Senator Frank Church's Fight to Save Democracy
| Watch our webinar featuring journalist Thomas Risen and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James Risen, co-authors of "The Last Honest Man: The CIA, the FBI, the Mafia, and the Kennedys―and One Senator's Fight to Save Democracy." | Drawing upon hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of recently declassified documents, and reams of unpublished letters, notes, and memoirs, some of which remain sensitive today, "The Last Honest Man" tells the gripping, untold story of truth and integrity standing against unchecked power—and winning.” Together, we explored Senator Frank Church’s courageous stand against abuses of power by the CIA, FBI, Mafia, and the Kennedys. | | | |
Miami Dade County Women's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Location:
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
11 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL 33132
Date and time:
Tuesday, April 2, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Join Former Congresswoman and USCHS Board Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for her induction to the Miami Dade County Women's Hall of Fame at the Miami Dade County Commission Chamber.
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The Morrill Family Established the
James Agrippa Morrill Memorial Fund to Support We the People Constitution Program
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We are delighted to share that the Morrill family established the James Agrippa Morrill Memorial Fund in honor of our devoted volunteer, Jim Morrill. The Morrill family's annual fund will directly support the Society's civic education work, including the We the People Constitution Program, allowing us to expand our educational outreach and impact. Thanks to their generosity, students in Washington, D.C., will have the opportunity to engage in an immersive learning experience centered around the Constitution.
Our We the People Constitution Tours provide D.C. middle school students with a comprehensive and engaging educational experience, promoting civic awareness and encouraging active participation in the democratic process. The James Agrippa Morrill Memorial Fund will enable us to enhance the program's impact, ensuring that Jim Morrill's dedication to civic education and community engagement lives on.
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Get Involved: Engage with USCHS Programs | |
Featured Resources for Every Classroom
Explore our "We the People" Hub for free lesson plans, classroom activities, primary source analysis, and more! These foundational resources are crucial for understanding the U.S. Constitution and the three branches of government, making them essential for any civics curriculum.
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U.S. Capitol History Tours | Discover the Capitol building, where pivotal moments in American history have unfolded, with our exclusive historian-led tours, available only to USCHS members. Our dedicated volunteer guides offer an insider's perspective on this iconic landmark. | | |
Revisit Our Recent History Webinars | |
Missed one of our webinars? No worries! Simply head over to our YouTube channel, where we have recordings of each webinar readily available for your enjoyment.
Join our live webinars for the opportunity to participate in dynamic Q&A sessions with our speakers.
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How You Can Help
Your support is vital in promoting informed citizenship and preserving our history. Whether you join the Society as an annual Member or make a tax-deductible donation, your contribution makes a lasting impact. Discover ways to maximize your support for the Society now!
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Help us reach more people who believe in empowering our youth. The more people know about our work, the greater our impact can be. Follow us on social media, forward this newsletter, and encourage teachers to incorporate our resources into their curriculums.
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Discover the heart of American history with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society! Founded in 1962, our mission is to inspire informed patriotism by educating you about the Capitol and the people who work there. | |
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