The history of the United States Senate is full of fascinating events and colorful characters. There have been moments of high drama on the Senate floor, such as the caning of Senator Charles Sumner on May 22, 1856, and Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s courageous ”Declaration of Conscience” on June 1, 1950. There have been many less famous but equally intriguing moments such as the March 26, 1848, arrest and subsequent incarceration in the Capitol building of a reporter who refused to cooperate with Senate investigators.

This varied, yet interconnected history lends itself to being told through stories. For nearly ten years, Senate Historian Richard Baker has prepared brief vignettes to share the rich institutional history of the Senate. A new book prepared by the Senate Historical Office presents 200 of the ”historical minutes” featuring some of the Senate’s most interesting and dramatic moments.

200 Notable Days: Senate Stories 1787-2002 includes essays about the landmark days that shaped the Senate as an institution. Arranged chronologically, this book of days collectively reveals the character of the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.” From the founders’ debate about the creation of the Senate through the contentious legislative battles that have played out in the Senate Chamber for more than two centuries, these stories also reveal how the Senate’s activities have influenced the larger landscape of history. This collection describes how the institution has evolved over time, explains how the organizational, administrative, and leadership structures have emerged, and describes the many traditions that give the Senate its distinct nature...

This beautifully illustrated volume features a selection of photographs, portraits, engravings and manuscripts. Gathered from the collections of the Senate, the Architect of the Capitol and a number of other repositories including the Library of Congress and the National Archives, these visuals provide a powerful complement to each narrative. Each historical vignette also includes bibliographic sources.

Read collectively, these stories reveal a larger picture about the uniqueness of the Senate as an institution, providing readers with a more complete image of the modern Senate, and advancing Dr. Baker’s belief that to understand today’s Senate, one must explore this institution’s rich history.

Download 200 Notable Days: Senate Stories, 1787 to 2002

Pdf format, ZIP, 4.3mb, 225pages.

By Richard A. Baker, Senate Historian. Prepared under the direction of Emily J. Reynolds, Secretar y of the Senate.

200 Notable Days: Senate Stories GPO Official Website

The Full document (4.3 MB, 225 pages) is available as a single ZIP file. Documents within the ZIP file and in the browse table below are available in PDF format.

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