Videos

U.S. Capitol Historical Society Chief Historian William “Chuck” diGiacomantonio discussed the tumultuous interactions between Democratic-Republican President Thomas Jefferson and Federalist …

Jane Armstrong Hudiburg talked about the life and legacy of suffragist, pacifist and politician Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society hos…

Professor Matthew Restall talked about how visitors to the U.S. Capitol experience the art and architecture, including the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol dome. He also discussed how Chri…

Legal historian Paul Finkelman and Harvard law Professor Randall Kennedy presented talks on the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Reconstruction era. Paul Finkelman detailed why he belie…

International Churchill Society trustee Lee Pollock described British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s visits to Washington, D.C., and his relationships with U.S. elected officials through…

Matthew Gilmore, who edits a Washington, D.C., history blog, talked about the complicated and controversial building of a memorial to President James Garfield on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Mr…

Matthew Fink talked about the legacy of Senator Carter Glass (D-VA), and how key financial reform laws he advocated changed American banking. Mr. Fink is the author of The Unlikely Reformer:…

Matthew Green explained how members of Congress choose their party leaders. He looked at past elections and voting patterns, and the key factors that swung votes. He is the co-author of Choo…

The President and CEO of Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum gave an illustrated talk detailing the history of the USS Olympia, which is preserved and can be visited at their waterfro…

Matthew Costello reached back to 1790s politics to explain George Washington’s vision for the capital city later named for him. Washington’s influence extended not only to the city’s design,…

In 1793, President George Washington selected physician, painter, and architect Dr. William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol building. National Portrait Gallery curator emerita Ellen M…

In 1793, President George Washington selected architect William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol. In this program, former diplomat Gordon Brown talked about Thornton’s life and work, i…

In 1793, President George Washington selected physician, painter and architect Dr. William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol building. In this concluding session of a Thornton symposium…

In 1793, President George Washington selected architect William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol. In this program, historian Michael Brown argued that events from the French and Scotti…

Environmental historian Scott Einberger talked about his book, With Distance in His Eyes: The Environmental Life and Legacy of Stewart Udall. Mr. Einberger detailed the Kennedy and Johnson a…

Catholic University politics professor Matthew Green discussed the determining factors in U.S. House leadership elections from the 1960s to the present. Professor Green is co-author of the f…

Laura Blessing, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute, delivered a lecture on the self-imposed ban on Congressional earmarks. She talked about the history o…

This event was a book launch and discussion with the three co-authors, editor, and mapmaker of the book, Creating Capitol Hill: Place, Proprietors, and People. Published by the U.S. Capitol …

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society hosted an event in which speakers addressed the impact of social media on Congress and the democratic process between members and their constituents. They…

Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver, talked about how political parties react to election losses with a focus on the Democratic losses of 201…