ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

The re

January 1989. This project was a joint effort with the Senate Historical Office and the Joint Committee on Printing. sponsibility of preparing and editing the biographical sketches of more than 10,000 House Members was that of the Office for the

Bicentennial.

A Guide to Research Collections of Former Members of the United States House of Representatives, 1789-1987; Bicentennial Edition. This 504-page compilation of the locations and descriptions of important research collections of more than 3,000 of former Members of the House was begun in 1984. The publication represents the results of an ambitious national survey to locate the scattered manuscripts and other historical material that is essential to further historical studies of the House of Representatives. No such guide for House historical resources existed until this publication appeared in December 1988. It represents a major tool for further studies of the House. It was compiled with the nationwide support of volunteer historians, archivists, and librarians, who provided the data for the publication.

Guide to the Records of the United States House of Representatives at the National Archives, 1789-1989: Bicentennial Edition.

[blocks in formation]

5

This 466-page guide to the official committee records of the House at the National Archives was a major bicentennial project of the

National Archives.

The Office for the Bicentennial and the Office of the Clerk of the House were instrumental in launching this project and worked closely with the Archives staff in the review and editing of the manuscript during its four years of preparation, beginning in 1985. The volume was published at the beginning of the 101st Congress in January 1989. This guide, and a similar guide to Senate records, represent the first systematic description of House and Senate records since "preliminary inventories" of House records were completed in 1959.

History in the House. Periodically, beginning in October 1984, the Office for the Bicentennial has prepared 4 to 8-page newsletters on historical topics and bicentennial information. Some of the features subsequently have been used by Members in their own newsletters and speeches, and a number of the newsletter items have been reprinted in newspapers around the country and are being used in classrooms. The newsletters are distributed to all congressional offices, a select list of historians and political scientists, and members of the public who have requested to be added to our mailing list. Ten issues have appeared since 1984, with a circulation of about 4,600 copies.

6

Black Americans in Congress.

(Forthcoming).

The Office for

the Bicentennial began work on this project in 1986. Originally planned as an update of a popular booklet of the same name issued by Congress during the American Revolution Bicentennial, and long out of print, the Office for the Bicentennial with encouragement of the House bicentenary commission, has expanded the scope of the publication with new research and new illustrations which add substantially to the biographical data available. The manuscript is completed and ready for submission to GPO as soon as a pending printing resolution receives final approval from both bodies.

This, too, was originally

Women in Congress. (Forthcoming). conceived and published during the American Revolution Bicentennial and has long been out of print. Again, the Office for the Bicentennial decided to rewrite the entire publication based on new research. Work began in 1986. All primary research is completed, all phonographs have been collected, and new sketches are currently being drafted. The volume should be ready for publication in about three months.

Origins of the House of Representatives: A Documentary Record. (Forthcoming). This is a compilation of historical

7

material from James Madison's Notes at the Federal Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the Federalist and Antifederalist debates, and private letters of the Founding Fathers and Members of the First Congress, which describe the origins of the House of RepreEach document is introduced with an editorial note on its historical significance, This project, launched by the Office for the Bicentennial in mid 1987, is now completed and ready for publication, pending passage of a printing resolution.

sentatives.

The U.S. Capitol: A Brief Architectural History. (Forthcoming). Prepared by the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, this publication (approximately 25 pages) will feature a succinct text and some outstanding historical photographs documenting the evolution of the Capitol Building, one of the most familiar American landmarks. The Office for the Bicentennial encouraged the production of this booklet and has assisted with its design and preparation for publication. The booklet is completed and awaits approval of a pending printing resolution.

Exhibits

The Splendid Hall. The Office for the Bicentennial acted primarily as a coordinator and facilitator for congressional exhibits since the Office had no specific budget or sufficient staff to mount major exhibits on its own. The Office did create two exhibits. The first, which can be seen in Statuary Hall, is on the history of that room when it served as the House Chamber from 1807 to 1857. Planning for the six-panel exhibit, entitled "The Splendid Hall," began in 1987. The Office for the Bicentennial had the cooperation and support of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in assembling the exhibit. The exhibit opened in January 1989 as soon as the space was available following events surrounding the presidential inauguration. It is designed to blend in with the room and not interfere with other uses of the space so the exhibit can remain in place indefinitely.

Congress on Stamps. In cooperation with the Capitol Hill Philatelic Club, the U.S. Postal Service, the Congressional Research Service, and the Smithsonian Institution, the Office for the Bicentennial mounted a popular exhibition of U.S. commemorative postage stamps which featured Members of Congress, Acts of Congress, and the Capitol Building. The centerpiece of the exhibit was the new House and Senate bicentennial postage stamps, de

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »