The Center’s Congressional Briefings program aims to provide members of Congress and their staff with the historical background needed to understand the context of current legislative concerns. It does so by bringing leading historians to Capitol Hill to provide non-partisan briefings on past events and policies that shape the issues facing Congress today.
Upcoming:
Congressional Briefing on the History of US Trade Policy
June 29 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amThe president’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and threats to impose other protectionist trade measures have sparked controversy. But debates over free trade versus protectionism have a long history in the US. How can the history of US trade policy help us to understand the current admi...
Congressional Briefings News:
Meeting the Challenges Of Influencing Policy: April 2016
Historians on the Hill: April 2016
Roll Call Reports on Congressional Briefing: October 2015
An Update on Congressional Briefings: March 2015
The NHC Receives Mellon Grant in Support of Congressional Briefings: November 2014
Congressional Briefings Series to be Revived: April 2012
Past Congressional Briefings:
Congressional Briefing on the History of U.S. Infrastructure: May 4, 2018
Briefing Summary
Congressional Briefing on the History of the Higher Education Act: February 16, 2018
Congressional Briefing on Automation and the Workforce: November 13, 2017
Congressional Briefing on the History of Civil War Monuments: October 23, 2017
Congressional Briefing on Civil-Military Relations: September 18, 2017
Congressional Briefing on U.S.-China Relations: March 27, 2017
Congressional Briefing on the History of Executive Orders: February 17, 2017
Congressional Briefing on Zika: Historic Parallels and Policy Responses: September 12, 2016
Congressional Briefing on the History of American Drug Policy and Drug Addiction Epidemics: May 9, 2016
Congressional Briefing on the History of Political Partisanship: January 29, 2016
Congressional Briefing on History of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: December 4, 2015
Congressional Briefing on History of Incarceration in the United States: October 9, 2015
Congressional Briefing on Tax Reform in the United States: May 8, 2015
Congressional Briefing on the Ukraine Crisis: January 23, 2015
Congressional Briefing on Ebola and the African Health Crisis: November 17, 2014
Congressional Briefing on Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Historical Perspective: September 12, 2014
Congressional Briefing on Oversight of Intelligence Activities: June 9, 2014
Congressional Briefing on Immigration Policy: April 5, 2013
Congressional Briefing on Space Travel: June 15, 2012
Congressional Briefing on the Great Depression: May 21, 2009
Congressional Briefing on the Federal Role in Race and Reconstruction: March 13, 2006
Historians on the Hill
The National History Center has launched a project known as Historians on the Hill. We aim to identify Capitol Hill staffers who hold history degrees. The Center’s objective is to forge contacts on the Hill with staffers who might offer direct assistance with our Congressional Briefing Program.
The National History Center and its Historians on the Hill initiative are not affiliated with the National Coalition for History or the Congressional History Caucus.