When the U.S. House of Representatives opened in 1789, the world had never seen anything like it. But the characteristics of House, new though they were, were built on years of precedent and procedures found in other legislative bodies in North America.
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Just in time for summer, a slew of newly digitized prints and postcards show how visitors and armchair travelers pictured the Capitol over the past two centuries.
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Years before millions of Americans marked the nation’s Bicentennial with fireworks and parades, the federal government began planning national celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 1976. At the center of these festivities was the U.S. Congress, which oversaw the country’s many celebrations and planned its own tributes to the Revolutionary-era quest for self-determination.
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In 1975, as the bicentennial approached, few Americans doubted the historical significance of Valley Forge. But there were fierce disagreements about how to preserve the site. It was hardly a foregone conclusion that Valley Forge would become part of the National Park System. Representative Richard Schulze’s resolution kicked off a preservation battle that lasted for more than a year, illustrating the difficulties involved in commemorating America’s history, even when it came to one of the most famous sites in the country.
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In anticipation of America’s 100th anniversary on July 4, 1876, the U.S. House of Representatives began preparing for the nation’s biggest independence celebration yet: the United States Centennial Exposition, which, over the course of six months, drew nearly 10 million visitors from across the nation and around the world to Philadelphia for an unprecedented display of American history, arts, culture, labor, and industry.
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