As we celebrate the 232nd anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, we’re looking back on the document's 175th anniversary—and a major exhibit at the National Archives Building. The original joint resolution of Congress proposing what we call the Bill of Rights has been on permanent display at the National Archives Building since … Continue reading The Bill of Rights at the National Archives Building
The 27th amendment, ratified on May 7, 1992, was originally proposed on September 25, 1789. Yes, that date is correct. The amendment was part of the original 12 proposed amendments sent to the states for ratification in 1789. Amendments 3 through 12 were ratified on December 15, 1791, becoming what we now call the Bill of … Continue reading A Record-Setting Amendment
Today’s post comes from Tom Eisinger, senior archivist at the Center for Legislative Archives in Washington, DC. When Richard O’Bryen, captain of the Philadelphia ship Dauphin, penned his July 12, 1790, letter to Thomas Jefferson, he had been a captive of the Barbary pirates in Algeria for almost five years. This letter, and others, helped bring … Continue reading Pirates: An Early Test for the New Country
This post continues our celebration of the 225th anniversary of the First Congress. The Constitution gives the President the “power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties.” This first time the President attempted to seek that advice occurred in August 1789 when first President George Washington sent a message … Continue reading The Senate irritates the President
Today’s post comes from Christine Blackerby, an Outreach Specialist at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The Center for Legislative Archives is marking the 225th anniversary of the First Congress by sharing documents on Tumblr and Twitter; use #Congress225 to see all the postings. Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, on August 3, … Continue reading The Origins of Senatorial Courtesy
Today’s post comes from Dan Ruprecht, intern in the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The Center for Legislative Archives is marking the 225th anniversary of the First Congress by sharing documents on Tumblr and Twitter; use #Congress225 to see all the postings. When Congress opened its doors under the new Constitution for the first … Continue reading New York’s First Senators: Late to Their Own Party
