The U.S. Capitol Historical Society has launched Toward a More Perfect Union, a biweekly speaker series examining the historic role of Congress in the journey toward defining the ideal of a “perfect union” in American society.

Centered on the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in the United States, Toward a More Perfect Union engages writers, historians, and practitioners in discussion of a variety of recurring questions in American civic life. Over the course of the series, we will consider the social and legislative context of the evolution of voting rights, issues of representation, access to education, economic empowerment, and more.

Registration for these virtual events is free and open to the public.

Scheduled Topics

 
11/19/2020: Institutional Trust with Dr. Yuval Levin
VIDEO — password: Trust#Nov19

 
12/3/2020:  Driving Institutional Change with Rebecca Boggs Roberts and Lucinda Robb
VIDEO — password: Playbook!12-3

 
12/17/2020: Issues of Class in Political Participation with Dr. Daniel Laurison and Dr. Eleanor Powell
VIDEO — password: Participation12-17

 
1/7/2021: The Attack on the Capitol with Derek W. Black
VIDEO on YouTube

 
1/28/2021:  Voting Rights: Then and Now with Dr. Hasan Jeffries and Rev. Dr. Jay Augustine
VIDEO on YouTube

 
2/4/2021: The Lasting Impact of Slavery with Dr. Manisha Sinha
VIDEO — password: Impact2-4-21

 
3/4/2021: Participation of Women in Government with Hon. Kendra Horn and Dr. Kira Sanbonmatsu
VIDEO —  password: History!1

 
3/11/2021: Education as a Civil Right with Derek W. Black
VIDEO — password: History!1

 
3/18/2021: Women in Republican Politics with Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Dr. Catherine Wineinger
VIDEO — password: History!1

 
4/1/2021: Tribal Sovereignty with Professor Matthew LM Fletcher and Professor Patty Ferguson Bohnee
VIDEO — password: History!1

 
4/15/2021 POSTPONED: Economic and Educational Opportunity for Native Americans with Dr. Ned Blackhawk
We will update this page when the webinar is rescheduled.

 
4/29/2021: Economic Empowerment and Access to Capital with Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard and Shay Hawkins

 
5/13/2021: Immigration in the 18th and 19th Centuries with Dr. Alan Kraut

 
5/27/2021: Immigration in the 20th and 21st Centuries with Professor Carrie L. Rosenbaum

IMAGE: Construction of the Capitol Dome, ca. May 1861, from the Benjamin Brown French collection at the Library of Congress.

 
DOWNLOAD POSTER (PDF): Toward a More Perfect Union—Poster Final