Capitol Stories

Jeannette Rankin: She Raised Her Voice Alone

The first woman elected to Congress and the only member to vote against both World Wars. Jeannette Rankin broke barriers as the first woman elected to Congress, but her greatest test came when she stood by her convictions and voted against war. Facing criticism, isolation, and political consequences, Rankin’s story is a powerful reminder that courage sometimes means standing alone.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill Speech to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress

One speech. One alliance. A turning point in World War II. Just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress, rallying support for the Allied cause and strengthening the partnership between Great Britain and the United States. His powerful words helped inspire a nation entering one of the most consequential chapters in its history.

This mural by Allyn Cox illustrates the burning of the Capitol in the background. Courtesy of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society

Saving the Records of Congress during the War of 1812

When Congress’s history was nearly lost to the flames. As British forces advanced on Washington and set fire to the Capitol in 1814, House and Senate clerks raced to save the records of Congress. Their courage and quick thinking preserved priceless documents and ensured that the early history of the nation would not be lost forever.

John Quincy Adams, c. 1843, lithograph by P. Haas taken from his own daguerreotype Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

John Quincy Adams: Fiery to the End

The former president who never stopped fighting. After serving as president, John Quincy Adams returned to Congress and became one of the nation’s most outspoken voices against slavery. Known as “Old Man Eloquent,” he spent years defending free speech, the right to petition, and the principles of liberty, remaining a fierce advocate until his final moments on the House floor.

Photographs of Brumidi late in life, part of the Brady-Handy Photograph Collection. Courtesy the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

Constantino Brumidi’s Near-Death Experience

The artist who nearly fell while creating a masterpiece. Known as the “Artist of the Capitol,” Constantino Brumidi transformed the building with many of its most iconic murals and decorations. While painting the Rotunda’s Frieze of American History, he narrowly survived a fall from scaffolding high above the Capitol floor, a dramatic moment in the life of the artist whose work still defines the Capitol today.

Clarence Mitchell, Jr., and President Johnson. LBJ Library

One Hundred and One Senators and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The fight that changed America. As the Civil Rights Act of 1964 faced a historic Senate filibuster, activists, lawmakers, and ordinary citizens fought to secure equal rights under the law. At the center of the effort was Clarence Mitchell Jr., known as the “101st Senator,” whose relentless advocacy helped guide one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in American history to passage.