9 scribed below. The exhibit was placed in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building and was on display during the month of March 1989. The Tides of Party Politics: Two Centuries of Congressional Elections, 1789-1989. This major exhibition, prepared by the Library of Congress, opened on February 8, 1989, and ran through August 1989 in the foyer of the Madison Building. It featured detailed maps of the United States showing every congressional district and the outcome of each congressional election in American history. It was based on the work of West Virginia University scholar Kenneth Martis. The Office for the Bicentennial encouraged Dr. Martis to present his unique research in a major exhibit. The Office also held meetings with the Library of Congress to add this exhibition to their bicentennial agenda. The Office for the Bicentennial also was fortunate to receive the benefit of Dr. Martis's scholarship on congressional elections for use in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. The First Federal Congress, 1789-1791. The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery mounted a major exhibition which was on display from March 2, 1989, to July 23, 1989. 10 Office for the Bicentennial encouraged the production of this exhibit and worked with Smithsonian officials and staff and staff of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution to help launch the effort. A lasting benefit of the exhibit is a fine catalog prepared by Margaret Christman of the Smithsonian staff. To Make All Laws. A major Library of Congress exhibition on two centuries of Congress, opened to the public on September 29, 1989, in the Madison Building. It will be on view until February 18, 1990. Components of the exhibit will travel to thirty American cities over the next two years. A handsomely illustrated catalog, written by Jim Hutson of the Library staff, accompanies the exhibit, which is based on the extensive collections of the Library of Congress. The Office for the Bicentennial met with Li brary officials and staff in 1987 to help launch the exhibit, provide support and encouragement, and develop themes for the exhibition. Symposia 11 Harpers Ferry Conference on Congressional Papers. July 31August 2, 1985. Sponsored by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Dirksen Congressional Center, the three-day conference brought together nineteen historians, archivists, and records administrators to discuss problems related to the preservation and dissemination of information in the vast and widely scattered papers of former Members of Congress. The House Historian participated in the conference, which resulted in the publication of an NHPRC report Congressional Papers Project Report (1985). The conference has been valuable in developing guidelines for Members of Congress making provisions for the preservation of their private papers. Understanding Congress: A Bicentennial Research Conference. (February 9-10, 1989). Sponsored by the House and Senate bicentennial commissions, the Library of Congress, The Lyndon B. Johnson Library, and the Everett Dirksen Congressional Center, this two-day conference held at the Library of Congress and in the Cannon and Russell Caucus Rooms, brought together more than 350 historians, political scientists, journalists, current and former 12 Members of Congress, and the public to discuss a variety of ways to enhance public understanding of Congress and to explore some of the challenges and opportunities of congressional research. The House historian presented a paper on some of the problems associated with the voluminous records of Congress. The proceedings of the conference are being edited for publication by the Library of Congress. Related Events and Ceremonies The above mentioned publications and exhibits were occasions of ceremonial presentations and openings involving Members of Congress, scholars, journalists, and the public. In addition, the Office for the Bicentennial planned and conducted other special ceremonies and events. Congressional Ceremony in Commemoration of the "Great Compromise" in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. (July 16, 1987). For the 200th anniversary of the "Great Compromise" in the Constitutional Convention that established the bicameral legislature, more than 200 Members of the House and Senate journeyed to 13 Philadelphia to take part in ceremonies at Independence National Historical Park at the site of the Federal Convention and the home of Congress from 1790 to 1800. The Office for the Bicentennial was charged with a major role in planning this event and preparing the historical materials used in the ceremonies. worked closely with the officers of the House and Senate, the U.S. Park Service, and officials of the City of Philadelphia, the U.S. Army Bicentennial Office and others to coordinate the day long ac tivities. The Office Special Joint Meeting of Congress in Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the United States Congress. (March 2, 1989). The Office for the Bicentennial was charged with developing the program for the House and coordinating the event with the Senate Historical Office. In addition to the remarks of the House and Senate leaders, the session included a poem written specially for the occasion by the Poet Laureate of the United States, Howard Nemerov, and an address by the distinguished historian David McCullough. The House Chamber was specially decorated for the occasion, and musical accompaniment was provided by the United States Army Band and the Third United States Infantry Fife and Drum Corps. A feature of the ceremony was the unveiling of de |