Im the historian at the house. And my job is to collect biographical information on members, gather lists and to conduct oral histories. We answer reference questions in our office that come from on the hill and off the hill and we try to tell the story of the house which is this very big, very Old Institution in a way in which people can kind of connect with it at a human level. We do that through telling biographical stories or clips from oral histories that give people kind of a human sense of a very large institution. And today we thought we would try and do that with you by telling you about the history of women in congress which is a history that dates back to the early 20th century. This is a nifty piece of campaign femora. Its Clare Boothe Luce memorabilia. And Clare Boothe Luce would have been the republican counterpart of helen douglas. She was well known to the general public. Her career really had started as a writer and editor. She later married henry luce, the founder of
Years before women had the right to vote fashlly and in a way shes really a bridge from the suffrage movement, to women attaining full political rights. She was active in a National Womens suffrage organization, and she helped women get the right to vote not only in montana, but a couple of states west of the mississippi and she runs in 1916. Shes elected to one of montanas two at large districts and part of her platform is that shes a pacifist. Well, shes sworn into the house on april 2, 1917, and the house has come into a special session, extraordinary session because the president that night, Woodrow Wilson delivers a message to Congress Asking for a declaration of war against germany. Its the u. S. Entry into world war i and rankin, when that vote is held is one of a group of about 50 members who votes against u. S. Intervention in world war i. She served a term in the house. She was on the womens suffrage committee. She was on the Public Lands Committee which was an important assi
The house collection that have to do with that and a lot of history to cover. And the last African American to be elected in the 19th century leaves in 1901, george white of North Carolina. Then its a long time before another African American comes into the house, and that is oscar from illinois. We have a couple of very rare artifacts from oscar de priest from the 19 twenties and thirties. Before i launch into this because i love him so much. Matt, tell us a little bit about Oscar Depriest and how he got into congress. There is a period of almost three decades after George Henry White leaves congress where there is no African Americans who serve in either the house or the senate. That has everything to do with the jim crow laws that go on the books in the south. And the way that that changes overtime during those decades, there is a critical thing going on in the south where African Americans begin to leave the south and move northward as part of a multi decade movement that would lat
Guest, ajay mehrotra, who will discuss his very significant and timely book, making the modern american fiscal state, law, politics, the rise of progressive taxation 1877 to 1929, published by Cambridge University press. We will resume this top, these talks, on january 15th. We will have rebecca edwards, professor of history and the former chair of mass or college. Her top is titled sex on the frontier, fertility in americas antebellum empire. Rebecca edwards is a very imminent historian who would expect to get quite a draw. But the presentation of that title, i think this is something that should not be menaced. The professor is the associate dean of research, professor of law, and i is a professor of history at Indiana University. He received his j. D. At university of georgetown law center. He has served as the codirector of the Indiana University center of law, society, and culture, and before arriving at Indiana University, he was a doctoral fellow at the American Bar Foundation i
For a september quarter. There are also concerns about the ant ipo fallout. And america awaits the outcome of the president ial election, seven states now holding the keys to the white house. Wisconsin heads to a recount and others face challenges in court. Foropen here in sydney friday trading in asian markets, we have seen an eerie calm and trading across equity markets, and globally, on expectations that policy gridlock will me know extreme measures when it comes to the tax front being taken and more status quote when it comes to the visible markets. We are up. 2 when it comes to sydney, the in aussie dollar and commoditieslinked currencies it particularly well. We have the u. S. Dollar fall to its lowest in two years. The nikkei 225, we expect weakness going into the open but we have japanese stocks trading in the green every day of the week. Also watching the yen, but interestingly, as an election respirometer, we continue to watch price action in china as well as volatility in ch