US CAPITOL BUILDING
House Chamber Desks and Chairs
-After the British burned the Capitol in 1814, the House Chamber was rebuilt and needed furniture -The House orders 188 desks and chairs from Thomas Constantine (same guy who built senate desks) -However, these desks and chairs were removed in 1857 -As the nation expanded westward and the population grew, the number of House members increased. Seating in the house chambers was reassigned. Continuous rows of seats replaced individual desks and chairs.
First African Americans in Congress
-After the Civil War, 3 amendments were added to the Constitution that addressed slavery and civil rights -13th: abolished slavery in 1865 -14th: 1868, provided in citizenship rights to newly-freed slaves -15th, 1870, granted voting rights to black men -during Reconstruction from 1863-1877, 14 African American men held House seats and 2 served in the Senate -First full term African American Senator was Blanche Bruce from Mississippi. Bruce was born a slave in Virginia and fled north to freedom during the Civil War. Following emancipation, he pursued a career in education and politics in Missouri and Mississippi. -First African American Representative: Joesph Rainey, South Carolina.
First Women in Congress
-Before 1917, no women served in congress, since the 112th congress, 274 women have served. -First woman elected to the senate: Hattie Caraway, Arkansas. She was appointed to her husband's seat after he died in 1931. To everyone's surprise, she won a special election and then a general election in 1932. -She was also the first woman to chair a Senate committee and to preside over the senate. First Woman Elected to the house: Jeannatte Rankin, Montana--4 years before the Constitution gave women the right to vote. Rankin served in the house from 1917-19 and 1941-43. She was the sole member of congress to vote against US participation in WWI and WWII. -19th amendment was ratified in 1920, Rankin was able to be elected bc in 1914, women residing in Montana were given the right to vote in national elections -First women elected to house and senate: Margret Chase Smith, Maine, House from 1940-1949, Senate 1949-1973. Broke down many barriers to women in politics, served on the senate armed services committee and was a presidential candidate in 1964.
Changes to the Building in the Last Century
-By the beginning of the 20th century the need for more space again became acute -The first house and senate office buildings were completed in 1908 and 1909 -Severe deterioration of the Capitol's original exterior sandstone walls prompted major renovations. Between 1958 and 1962 the East Front was extended thirty-two feet and its original façade was replicated in marble. Portions of the old outside walls can still be viewed inside the East Front corridors, and remain as a lasting legacy of the enslaved African Americans who worked to quarry the stone to be used in the Capitol's construction. -in the 1980s the west front was repaired and restored and is the only portion of the original exterior not covered by marble additions -The most recent addition is the visitor center completed in 2008
US Capitol Grounds
-Capitol's landscape was designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park and the National Zoo -Trolly Stop Shelters: used to run through the capitol grounds to independence ave. and stopped at other places in the city like the treasury department, state department, and union station -Summerhouse: place to escape the hot summer sun -Commemorative Trees: many of the trees on the Capitol grounds were planted to commemorate members of congress, notable citizens, national organizations, and historic events. More than 30 states have gifted their state tree to the Capitol Grounds -West Front Lawn: where inaugurations have been held since 1981, facing the national mall -The Peace Monument: honors sailors who died at sea during the Civil War. Topped with 2 female figures wearing classical robes. They symbolize grief and history. Below them, 2 other female figures represent victory and peace. The two infants at the foot of victory represent Mars, the Roman god of war with his sword, and Neptune, the Roman god of the sea with his trident.
The Constitution and Congress
-Established the 3 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. -Written in 1787 and is on display at the national archives -Duties of the house: initiates all laws concerning raising the money by the federal government, initiates the removal of federal officials suspected of "high crimes and misdemeanors" (impeachment) -Duties of the senate: approves all treaties, approves all presidential nominations, tries impeached officer and decides on their removal from office -Shared duties: declaring war, making laws -
Minority Women in Congress
-First Asian American Woman Elected to Congress: Patsy Mind, Hawaii, elected to House in 1964. -First African American Woman from the South in Congress: Barbara Jordan, Texas, elected in 1972, was a member of the Judiciary Committee which held President Nixon's impeachment hearings in 1974
Plaster Model for the Statue of Freedom
-Full size plaster model for the bronze Statue of Freedom that is on top of the Capitol Dome -Designed by Thomas Crawford in Rome. The model was then shipped in six crates to a foundry (a factory for casting metal) near DC. At the foundry, Clark Mills cast in bronze the five pieces that made up the statue. Phillip Reid, an enslaved African American worker, assisted Clark Mills in casting the Statue of Freedom. Piece by piece, the statue was raised to the top of the Dome and assembled there. The last piece, the head, was bolted in place on December 2, 1863. -Depicts a female figure representing freedom. In her right hand, Freedom holds a sword (a symbol of war). IN her left hand she holds a wreath of laurel leaves (a symbol of peace) and a shield (a symbol of protection). Together, the symbols represent the ideal that freedom can triumph in both war and in peace. -Freedom's helmet: encircled by stars and features a crest composed of an eagle's head, feathers, and talons to represent national pride, unity, and strength of the nation
Senate Chamber Desks
-In 1819, the Senate ordered 48 desks to replaced those destroyed when the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812. -Made by Thomas Constantine, each desk cost $34 -Today, all of the desks remain in use. As the senate has grown in size, desks similar to Constantine's design have been added to the Senate Chamber. It's a tradition among Senators today to sign their names inside the drawer of their chamber desks.
A Home for Congress
-One of Congress's first tasks was to find a home for the new US government -In 1790, during its second session, congress authorized a 10-mile-square area on the Potomac River that included the land in Maryland and Virginia as the nation's capital -The site was selected by President George Washington, was called the "Federal City" but from the beginning however, Thomas Jefferson referred to it as "Washington" -In 1792, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson proposed that a design contest be held for the new Capitol. President Washington didn't like any of the entries so no prizes were awarded. -In 1793, after the competition had closed, Dr. William Thornton, a physician and amateur architect, presented a plan. His design had the classical elegance and grand scale that Washington wanted, and Thornton became the architect of the new Capitol -In 1800, when the government moved from temporary quarters in Philly to DC, the Capitol that awaited them was an unfinished brick and sandstone building. The congress moved into the small, cramped north wing. At first, the House met in a large room on the 2nd floor intended for the Library of Congress, and the Senate met in a chamber on the ground floor. -In 1807 the south wind was completed for the House of Reps. and a wooden walkway across the vacant yard intended for the domed center building linked the 2 wings -In 1814 much of the building was destroyed by the British by fires during the second war with Great Britain -In 1819, reconstructed wings were reopened. The center building was completed in 1826. -The building was expanded in the 1850s: the house moved into its current chamber in 1857 and the senate moved into its chamber in 1859 -the old hall of the house was later dedicate as the National Statuary Hall. Congress invited each state to contribute two statues of its most notable citizens. Today, these statues are displayed in the National Statuary Hall, the Rotunda, the Capitol visitor center and in the corridors throughout the building
The Dome: An Architectural Masterpiece
-The US Capitol Dome may be America's most famous landmark and has been the home of Congress since 1800. The Senate meets in the wing to the north, and the House meets in the wing to the South. When the flag is flying above the wing, it means the legislative body is in session. -Designed by Thomas Walter, a Philadelphia architect, it is the second dome that has crowned the Capitol -The proportions of the original dome became too small when the Capitol's two wings were enlarged in 1850s to accommodate more senators and representatives -The dome is 288 feet tall, almost the length of a football field -Unlike the original wooden dome, the new dome was made of cast-iron, making it fireproof -By the time the Capitol Dome was completed in 1866, close to 9 million pounds of iron had been lifted into place by steam-powered cranes -Dome designed with Neoclassical architecture, characterized by columns, a crown statue, many small windows, balustrades (repeating small posts like a porch rail), pilasters (flat columns)
Inside the Dome: An Artistic Masterpiece
-The painting on the Dome's ceiling is called "The Apotheosis of Washington" and honors George Washington as a national hero -The Apotheosis was painted in 1865 by the Italian artist Constantino Brumidi and took 11 months to complete. Brumidi also painted murals in the Vatican and in Roman palaces The Apothosis is a fresco (meaning "fresh" in Italian). This is a style of painting where paint is applied to wet plaster. This style was very popular during the Italian Renaissance. (Michelangelo used fresco to create the Vatican Sistine Chapel ceiling in the 1500s) -"Apotheosis" means elevating a person to the rank of a god or the glorification of a person as an ideal. Brumidi combined Greek and Roman gods and goddesses with important Americans and American achievements to create an American work of art -The group of figures in the center of the painting includes George Washington -The groups that line the perimeter of the fresco represent six themes: -War: armed freedom defeats Tyranny and the power of kings -Science: Minerva teaches Benjamin Franklin and other inventors -Marine: Neptune and Venus hold a telegraph cable being laid under the Atlantic Ocean -Commerce: Mercury hands money to Robert Morris, a financier of the America Revolution -Mechanics: Vulcan forges a cannon and steam engine -Agriculture: Ceres sits on a reaper invented by Cyrus McCormick to harvest grain -The goal of the art was to impress foreign visitors who came to the US capitol, to illustrate the importance of democracy, and to show the creativity and ingenuity of the American people.
The Senate Sets up Shop
-With 22 members attending, the Senate began its first session on April 6, 1789 in New York City -Two days later, the members elected a secretary of the senate, who was responsible for keeping a journal of day-to-day activities. He also bought supplies, managed payrolls, and paid bills. -For Congress' first 125 years, US Senators were elected by state legislatures, which often sent the senators instructions on how to vote. (changed to direct election in the 17th amendment) -2 senators per state so now there are 100 senators -senators term is 6 years and reelection years rotate so there are always senators that have experience Vice president is technically the president of the senate but only votes in case of a tie and the leader of the majority party leads day to day activities
Civil Rights for All Americans
-in the 1960s, Congress passed two important pieces of legislation- the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -The first ensured that all Americans have the right to go to any hotel, restaurant, theater, store or other place open the public. Made it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on gender, race, religion, national origin, disabilities, or age. -The second prevented any state from discriminating against voters because of their race -Both bills were proposed by JFK but neither were passed before his assassination in 1963
House Sets up Shop
During its first weeks of session in 1789, the House of Representatives established the way it would carry out its business. It looked to Britain's House of Commons for ideas. -For example, the Speaker of the House would be responsible for presiding over debates and maintaining order. Basic rules of parliamentary procedure were adopted from the House of Commons as well. -The House also began the process of adding amendments to the Constitution in order to protect the freedoms of the people (Bill of Rights) -Representation in the house is based on the population in the state. Ideally, each congressional district contains the same number of US citizens, determined by the census every 10 years. A representatives term is 2 years so all representatives are up for reelection every 2 years. There are 435 members of the house representing 300 million American citizens so that means each representative serves a constituency of 700,000 people. -In addition to the states, DC, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marian Island are all represented by nonvoting delegates. A resident commissioner represents Puerto Rico.
