WEEKDAYS AT 1 p.m. -- Join our engaging guides and visitor services team on Zoom for Capitol Conversations – live, interactive, virtual discussions about the U.S. Capitol. During Capitol Conversations, our staff will discuss some of the U.S. Capitol’s historic spaces, artwork, artifacts and statues.
Click here for the Online Gift Shop for the books and other materials mentioned during Capitol Conversations.
Monday, May 10 – Congress & The Transcontinental Railroad
- On May 10, 1869, the last spikes of the Pacific Railroad were driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, to unite the nation by rail. Learn how Congress came to pass the Pacific Railroad Act and how the first transcontinental railroad changed American life forever. All aboard!
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscu2sqT8qGZ0z1uktK59CzikRPi…
Tuesday, May 11 – Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Since 1990, May has been designated Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Learn about its origins and the history of the AAPI community in the United States.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOqoqT4qHyLZ55szBTea33eSCX…
Wednesday, May 12 – The Compass Stone & the Design of Washington
- There is a marble star in the Capitol Crypt – called the Compass Stone – that marks the center of Washington, D.C. Learn about the significance of the stone and how the city of Washington was built around the Capitol.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-GtqTstHFQDXJ_Q2ZJdJXaVfT…
Thursday, May 13 – Representative Patsy Mink
- Learn about Hawaii’s Representative Patsy Mink, the first Asian American woman and the first woman of color elected to Congress.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOGpqzkpG7Y-hPyqSHNTkkDx2G…
Friday, May 14 – Senate Hearing on the RMS Titanic
- On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Learn about the Senate investigation into the disaster and the recommendations to prevent such tragedies at sea.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsf-GvqTsqHOmfMP_gzdRq3yEHU_…
Monday, May 17 – The East Front Extension
- In 1962, Congress completed an expansion of the East Front of the Capitol. Learn about the most significant construction project at the Capitol since the late 1800s.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-6orT4pElko9ZVNYDzgWhbxEx…
Tuesday, May 18 – U.S. Capitol Subway
- Learn about the network of subway trains that helps senators, representatives and their staff members travel between the House and Senate office buildings and the Capitol.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOyopjIvHlZuEh0p4d7rFNna8h…
Wednesday, May 19 – A Tale of Two Statues: Grant in the Rotunda
- In 1900, the Grand Army of the Republic gifted a statue of President Ulysses S. Grant to the Capitol, but it wasn't the first one. Learn about how and why Congress honored President Grant with a statue in the Rotunda.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcemvqjopGwenFGxza-QxJvs48o…
Thursday, May 20 – The Percy Jones Caucus
- A lawyer from Michigan, a college athlete from Kansas, and a pre-med son of Japanese immigrants from Hawaii -- all connected by war and the U.S. Senate. Learn about Senators Philip Hart, Bob Dole and Daniel Inouye, who called themselves the Percy Jones Caucus.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsfumqqTwjEmZxOCtx6ApAP1HSvO…
Friday, May 21 – Johnson v. McIntosh & the Discovery Doctrine
- In 1823, the Supreme Court ruled in Johnson v. McIntosh that Native Americans could not sell land to private individuals. The ripple effects continue to this day. Learn about one of the most important Court decisions in American history.
Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-uhrDoiEyUERpUoeJ_5rnTUOR…
