U.S. Capitol Historical Society

10/16/2026

in , 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began. It did so after was briefed that nuclear missiles—supplied by the Soviet Union—were under construction in . For 13 harrowing days, the fate of , and the world, hung in the balance. But the assured Americans that he would choose a path “consistent with our character and courage as a nation…The cost of freedom is always high—and Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission.”

In 1959, the Cuban Revolution—led by Fidel Castro—ousted the regime that, just years prior, overthrew its democratic government. The recognized Castro, who insisted that neither “Communism or Marxism is our idea.” But when Castro began negotiating with the Soviets, then President Eisenhower approved a plan for his overthrow. A CIA scheme was thus developed to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba. It was Kennedy’s that finally greenlit the plan in 1961. It was a disaster.

After their landing in the Bay of Pigs, 1,400 U.S.-trained exiles were easily defeated by armed Cuban forces. This coincided with Castro’s announcement that his revolution was “socialist.” That meant that Soviet Premier Khrushchev was now obligated to protect Cuba. He may not have previously been emboldened to place missiles so close to the . But when Khrushchev met Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs, he sensed that the young President was weak and could be easily intimidated. From that point forth, the tensions mounted.

After the Berlin Wall was erected, Kennedy steadily grew the U.S. missile arsenal while both countries resumed nuclear testing. The alarm finally sounded when reconnaissance spotted missile sites in Cuba. Kennedy’s advisors called for everything from an airstrike and invasion to just a verbal warning. The President, though, chose a naval quarantine of Cuba while—crucially—opening communication with Khrushchev.

Kennedy’s message to the anxious millions was clear: “Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right—not at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.

“God willing, that goal will be achieved.”

in Photo: JFK and RFK conferring during the Cuban Missile Crisis

10/15/2026

in October 1814, Congress voted on whether to temporarily move the nation’s capital from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia.

Just weeks earlier, British troops had burned the Capitol and other federal buildings during the War of 1812. With much of Washington in ruins, lawmakers debated whether to rebuild the capital or relocate the federal government. Many northern Congressmen wanted to relocate to Philadelphia or New York City, as a more established city capital would place the seat of the government closer to "the moneyed interest of the nation." Opposition, mostly from southerners, argued that leaving Washington would shift political power away from the South and that the temporary move could easily become a permanent one.

Congress ultimately voted to stay on October 15, 1814. The bill to temporarily move the government to Philadelphia was defeated by a slim margin of 9 votes, 83 to 74.

Rebuilding Washington required a major effort. Local property owners raised funds and offered a $500,000 loan to help reconstruct federal buildings. In the meantime, the government needed a place to work. The Old Brick Capitol, located where the Supreme Court stands today, was built in just five months, providing a temporary meeting place for Congress from 1815 to 1819 while the Capitol was rebuilt.

10/14/2026

in , 1774, the Continental Congress denounced Britain’s Intolerable Acts. The “grievous acts and measures Americans cannot submit” to were a riposte to the Tea Party. But though most only punished Massachusetts, already understood what the Crown and Parliament did not: “that the repeal of them is essentially necessary in order to restore harmony between Great Britain and the Colonies.”

During the Tea Party, about 116 men boarded British ships and dumped 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. Nothing was damaged, other than a padlock, but nearly $2 million worth of tea (in today’s currency) had been destroyed. Until this was repaid, Parliament punished the city by blockading its port, limiting town meetings, and revoking ’ colonial charter.

Parliament also passed a new Quartering Act, which transferred the oversight of housing troops from colonial legislatures to Royal Governors. Even more problematic, the law mandated that housekeepers take in soldiers if ordered by a commanding officer. It was the only “Intolerable” Act burdened to all 13 colonies.

“Shall we supinely sit,” wrote, “and see one province after another fall a sacrifice to despotism?” The colonists therefore wrote treatises, held days of prayer for Boston, and created extra-legal governments—most consequentially—the First Continental . With delegates from every colony but Georgia, it was, to that point, America’s greatest collective action against the British.

Together in the future capital of , the Congress adopted the Declaration of Colonial Rights. It threatened a boycott of British goods if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by December; and issued a list of grievances, proclaiming the colonists “entitled to life, liberty, and property” and that the “foundation of English liberty, and of all free government, is a right in the people to participate in their legislative council.”

The petition was addressed to the King, though he did not reply. Instead, he offered the stunningly accurate assessment: “We must either master them or totally leave them to themselves.”

in Photo: Carpenter’s Hall, where the First Continental Congress convened

10/12/2026

This Indigenous Peoples' Day, we are highlighting depictions of Native people in the National Statuary Hall Collection! We encourage everyone to spend time today to learn more about Indigenous history and culture by watching recordings from our 2024 Native American Suffrage Symposium. The link can be found here: https://capitolhistory.org/native-american-suffrage-symposium/.

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10/08/2026

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was elected as the first female Hispanic Member of Congress in 1989. As a member of our board, she spoke at last year's annual symposium, Commemorating Hispanic History in Congress.

Read her reflections on Hispanic Heritage Month and her incredible career here: https://capitolhistory.org/capitol-history-blog/the-first-but-not-the-last-reflections-on-hispanic-heritage-and-the-american-story/.

10/06/2026

This year, USCHS will honor philanthropist David M. Rubenstein with the 2026 Freedom Award. The Society created the Freedom Award to honor individuals who exhibit extraordinary dedication to freedom, democracy, and representative government.

Rubenstein's unprecedented patriotic philanthropy has been instrumental in the preservation of many national treasures and landmarks, including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, National Archives, Library of Congress, and Smithsonian Institution.

The Freedom Award will take place on January 5, 2027. Read more about this year's recipient and the Freedom Award here: https://capitolhistory.org/u-s-capitol-historical-society-to-honor-david-m-rubenstein-with-freedom-award/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: [email protected] U.S. Capitol Historical Society to Honor David M. Rubenstein with Freedom Award for Unprecedented Patriotic Philanthropy Rubenstein’s Philanthropy Helped Preserve U.S. Treasures & Landmarks Including Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, National Arc...

10/02/2026

Take a look at our guide for midterms elections coming up! Let us know in the comments if you've registered to vote yet!

10/02/2026

in , 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black Justice of the Supreme Court. Before breaking the color barrier, Marshall won 29 cases, including Brown v. Board, tolling the death knell for “separate but equal.” Thus, upon his nomination, Johnson stated that Marshall’s legacy “will be greatly enhanced by his service on the Court,” but noted, “I believe he has already earned his place in .”

From an early age, Marshall was inspired to fight the segregation that he and his family endured. His great-grandfather had been enslaved. And after Marshall received his bachelor’s degree, he was rejected by the School of Law for being black. He therefore reapplied, and was accepted, to University.

Years earlier, the Supreme Court’s first Jewish Justice told Howard’s President to “Build a law school and train men to get the constitutional rights of [your] people. Once you train lawyers to do this, the Supreme Court will have to hand your people their civil and constitutional rights.”

Therefore, while “Harvard was training people to join big law firms,” Marshall recalled, Howard “was teaching lawyers to go to court.” Soon, the law school became the NAACP’s “legal laboratory” for expanding . Marshall graduated #1 in his class and, not long after, began two decades coordinating the NAACP’s effort to end segregation. Some cases challenged violations of “equal protection.” But in Brown v. Board, Marshall challenged the legality of “separate but equal” itself.

In his opening statement, Marshall argued that segregated schools were a form of Black Codes which the 14th Amendment was intended to end. He then argued that “the only way that this Court” could reject his case was a conclusion that black people “are inferior to all other human beings.” The Court unanimously agreed. Thirteen years later, Marshall was confirmed to by a majority of senators, Republican and Democrat alike.

After Marshall’s passing in 1993, Chief Justice Rehnquist reflected: “Inscribed above the front entrance to this Court building are the words, ‘Equal Justice Under Law.’ Surely no individual did more to make these words a reality than .”

Photos: Marshall and the Supreme Court Building in

10/01/2026

in , 1924, Jimmy Carter was born. In time, he’d become Governor of and President of the . But it was his legacy outside of office that earned him the 2002 Nobel Prize, “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, the son of peanut farmers. He graduated from the Naval Academy before serving seven years as a submarine warfare officer. But after his father’s death, he resigned his commission and returned home to run his family farm. Still, he felt the call to service, believing “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something…My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

In 1962, he was elected to the Georgia senate, and by 1970, as state Governor. Just seven years later, the rural peanut farmer entered the . It was no small task as the Carter Administration endured high unemployment, the “great inflation,” an extreme gas shortage, and the Iran Hostage Crisis—resulting in a one-term presidency. But there was an apogee.

In 1978, Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David. There, they pursued rigorous negotiations to establish a framework for peace, ultimately signing the Camp David Accords. For this historic achievement, Sadat and Begin were dually-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. One month later, on October 20, 1978, Carter signed the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s congressional charter into law. Our mission, in part, is to promote and foster an “informed patriotism.”

To help achieve similar principles in the decades after, Carter built a presidential library and created a center to resolve conflict, promote democracy, defend human rights, and prevent disease—causes he indefatigably pursued well into his 90s. He once stated:

“In our private and individual lives, all of us have a need to seek for heroes. In our own personal ambitions and life—analysis of what opportunities present themselves to us, the talents that we have, the unpredictable future—we need those on whom we can depend as a pattern.”

Few patterns were more dependable than his.

in Photo: A pensive

09/30/2026

in , 1949, the Berlin Airlift ended, temporarily assuaging—though hardly ceasing— tensions between the East and the West. When the Soviets blockaded the city a year prior, it set off one of the first major crises of the epoch, establishing as a symbol of the Manichaean divide between “the free world and the Communist world.”

Following , the Allies agreed to occupy to prevent it from raising a military. They thus divided the country into four occupation zones with the , Britain, and France controlling the West, and the Soviet Union controlling the East. As a compromise, Berlin was also divided, despite it being located far inside Soviet territory. At the same time, authorized the “Marshall Plan,” the largest international aid package ever assembled. “The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want,” Truman explained. “They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died.”

To “keep that hope alive,” the disseminated $13.3 billion in aid to boost production, trade, and overall self-sufficiency. But the Plan’s dual purpose was to prevent from falling under the influence—if not control—of the USSR. This infuriated the Soviets, who demanded that satellite Eastern European nations refuse dollars. To further combat Western influence, they also instituted the Berlin Blockade, which shut down all land access to the city.

More than two million West Berliners lost steady access to electricity, food, and coal, leading to quickly enact Operation Vittles. Since air access had been granted by a 1945 U.S.-Soviet agreement, the Western Allies completed nearly 300,000 flights that brought vital supplies to West Berlin. With this legal authority, they knew if the Soviets tried to thwart the operation by force, they would be the aggressors. In total, 2.3 million tons of supplies, food, and fuel were delivered, rendering the blockade ineffective.

In fact, the blockade had the reverse impact of what the USSR intended. The West formed , and after the blockade ended, West Germany was officially established; in 1961 the Berlin Wall was completed. West Berlin was isolated but stood tall as a symbol of freedom, as described during his visit there in 1963:

“There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin…Freedom has many difficulties and is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us…

“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”

in Photo: Allied plane carrying goods to West Berlin