Includes bibliographical references (pages 631-633) and index.

1. James Madison's Notes of Debate in the Federal Convention of 1787 (May-September 1787) 1 -- 2. The Preamble and Article I of the Constitution of the United States (September 17, 1787) 25 -- 3. The Federalist (1787-1788) 28 -- 4. An Ordinance Calling for the First Federal Elections (September 13, 1788) 45 -- 5. James Madison Describes Factions in the House of Representatives (March 1, 1789) 46 -- 6. The First Quorums of the House and Senate (April 1 and 6, 1789) 47 -- 7. Fisher Ames Describes the First Congress (April 4, 1789) 49 -- 8. The First Rules of the House of Representatives (April 7, 13, and 14, 1789) 49 -- 9. The First Rules of the United States Senate (April 16, 1789) 53 -- 10. Vice President John Adams Addresses the Senate (April 21, 1789) 54 -- 11. Senator William Maclay's Account of the Duties of the Vice President (April 25, 1789) 55 -- 12. Senator William Maclay's Description of the Inauguration of George Washington (April 30, 1789) 56 -- 13. The House and Senate Agree on the Proper Title for the President of the United States (May 14, 1789) 57 -- 14. The First Law to Pass Congress: The Oath of Office Act (June 1, 1789) 58 -- 15. The House Debates James Madison's Resolution on the Bill of Rights (June 8, 1789) 59 -- 16. First Tariff Bill (July 4, 1789) 67 -- 17. Senator William Maclay's Description of the President's First Encounter with the Senate's Power of Advice and Consent (August 22 and 24, 1789) 69 -- 18. An Act Providing for Compensation of Members of the House and Senate (September 22, 1789) 71 -- 19. The Judiciary Act of 1789 (September 24, 1789) 73 -- 20. An Act Establishing the Census (March 1, 1790) 74 -- 21. Establishing a Permanent Seat of Government (July 16, 1790) 76 -- 22. An Early Congressional Newsletter (January 10, 1791) 77 -- 23. The First Domestic Revenue Act (March 3, 1791) 78 -- 24. The First Congressional Investigation: The Defeat of the Army Under General St. Clair (March 27, 1792) 79 -- 25. An Act Establishing a Mint (April 2, 1792) 81 -- 26. The First Presidential Veto (April 5, 1792) 83 -- 27. An Account of the Laying of the Cornerstone of the Capitol (September 18, 1793) 84 -- 28. The Establishment of the United States Navy (March 27, 1794) 86 -- 29. The Jay Treaty (November 19, 1794) 88 -- 30. A Report of the Lyon-Griswold Dispute (February 2, 1798) 91 -- 31. A Petition of Absalom Jones and Others (December 30, 1799) 92 -- 32. The House of Representatives Elects the President of the United States (February 11-17, 1801) 94 -- 33. A House Report Regarding the Establishment of the Library of Congress (December 21, 1801) 96 -- 34. Excerpts from Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice (1801) 98 -- 35. Memorial of Sundry Citizens in the City of Washington in the District of Columbia (January 26, 1803) 99 -- 36. Senate Debate on the Louisiana Purchase (November 2-3, 1803) 100 -- 37. The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, December 9, 1803; Ratified, September 25, 1804) 102 -- 38. Ann Alricks Petitions Congress for a Divorce (ca. January 24, 1804) 102 -- 39. Creation of the House Committee on Public Lands (December 17, 1805) 103 -- 40. The Cumberland Road Act (March 29, 1806) 104 -- 41. Petition of the Warriors of the Upper and Lower Sanduskies (October 4, 1806) 105 -- 42. Creation of the House District of Columbia Committee (January 21 and 27, 1808) 106 -- 43. The Origins of the Gerrymander (March 26, 1812) 107 -- 44. Declaration of War with Great Britain and Ireland (June 18, 1812) 108 -- 45. A Letter Explaining the Destruction of House Records During the Burning of the Capitol (September 15, 1814) 109 -- 46. A Resolution to Purchase the Library of Thomas Jefferson (October 7, 1814) 110 -- 47. The Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814) 111 -- 48. An Establishment of Standing Committees in the Senate (December 5, 1816) 113 -- 49. Compensation of Members of Congress (December 18, 1816) 114 -- 50. A Report on the Publication of a History of Congress (March 30, 1818) 116 -- 51. An Act to Establish the Design of the Flag of the United States (April 4, 1818) 117 -- 52. McCullough v. Maryland (1819) 118 -- 53. The Missouri Compromise (1819-1821) 125 -- 54. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) 127 -- 55. Robert Hayne's Reply to Daniel Webster (January 21 and 25, 1830) 132 -- 56. Daniel Webster's Second Reply to Robert Hayne (January 26 and 27, 1830) 138 -- 57. Alexis de Tocqueville's Description of the House and Senate (January 1832) 149 -- 58. Senator Henry Clay Defends the American System (February 2, 3, and 6, 1832) 150 -- 59. The Adoption of the Gag Rule Regarding Petitions and Memorials on Slavery (May 26, 1836) 158 -- 60. The Senate Debates the Establishment of a Gallery for Reporters (July 3, 1841) 159 -- 61. Charles Dickens's Description of Congress (1841) 160 -- 62. Senator Henry Clay's Valedictory to the Senate (March 31, 1842) 163 -- 63. Senate and House Debate on the Declaration of War with Mexico (May 11, 1846) 166 -- 64. Representative David Wilmot Defends His Proviso (February 8, 1847) 169 -- 65. Daniel Webster on the Constitution and the Union (March 7, 1850) 171 -- 66. Senator Henry Clay on the Death of John C. Calhoun (April 1, 1850) 175 -- 67. Senator Thomas Hart Benton Opposes the Compromise of 1850 (June 10, 1850) 177 -- 68. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (May 30, 1854) 181 -- 69. House Select Committee Report on the Beating of Senator Charles Sumner (June 2, 1856) 183 -- 70. Scott v. Sanford (The Dred Scott Decision) (1857) 185 -- 71. An Account of a Brawl on the Floor of the House of Representatives (February 6, 1858) 193 -- 72. The House of Representatives Launches an Investigation of President James Buchanan (March 5, 1860) 195 -- 73. Senator Jefferson Davis's Farewell Address to the Senate (January 21, 1861) 197 -- 74. James G. Blaine's Description of Congress at the Beginning of the Civil War (March 1861) 199 -- 75. The First Federal Income Tax (August 5, 1861) 202 -- 76. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, January 31, 1865; Ratified, December 6, 1865) 204 -- 77. Representative Thaddeus Stevens on Reconstruction (December 18, 1865) 205 -- 78. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (April 9, 1866) 209 -- 79. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, June 13, 1866; Ratified, July 9, 1868) 211 -- 80. The Reconstruction Act of 1867 (March 2, 1867) 212 -- 81. Representative Thaddeus Stevens on the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (March 2, 1868) 213 -- 82. The Articles of Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (March 4, 1868) 216 -- 83. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, February 26, 1869; Ratified, February 17, 1870) 221 -- 84. Haver v. Yaker (1869) 222 -- 85. The House Debates Investigation of the Credit Mobilier Scandal (December 2, 1872) 223 -- 86. The "Salary Grab" Act of 1873 (March 3, 1873) 225 -- 87. Susan B. Anthony Petitions Congress Regarding Her Fine for Illegal Voting (January 22, 1874) 228 -- 88. Reorganization of the Government of the District of Columbia (June 20, 1874) 230 -- 89. Representative James G. Blaine Defends Himself Against Charges of Corruption: The Mulligan Letters (June 5, 1875) 232 -- 90. Establishing the Electoral Commission of 1877 (January 29, 1877) 238 -- 91. James A. Garfield Describes Congress (July 1877) 241 -- 92. Reform of the Rules of the House (January 6, 1880) 243 -- 93. Kilbourn v. Thompson (1880) 244 -- 94. An Argument Against Reducing Congressional Salaries (February 16, 1882) 247 -- 95. House Report on the Reform of the Civil Service (December 12, 1882) 249 -- 96. The Civil Service Reform Act (January 16, 1883) 251 -- 97. Woodrow Wilson on the U.S. Senate (1885) 254 -- 98. Woodrow Wilson Describes the Role of the Speaker of the House (1885) 256 -- 99. James Bryce on the U.S. House of Representatives (1888) 257 -- 100. James Bryce on the U.S. Senate (1888) 262 -- 101. Speaker Thomas B. Reed Changes the Rules of the House (January 29, 1890) 266 -- 102. A Newspaper Account of a Shooting at the Capitol (March 1, 1890) 270 -- 103. Declaration of War with Spain (April 25, 1898) 273 -- 104. Senator Albert J. Beveridge on U.S. Policy Regarding the Philippines (January 9, 1900) 274 -- 105. Senator George Frisbie Hoar on Self-Government for the Philippines (April 17, 1900) 282 -- 106. The Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, July 12, 1909; Ratified, February 25, 1913) 284 -- 107. The Revolt Against Speaker Joseph Cannon (March 19, 1910) 284 -- 108. Limiting the Size of the House of Representatives (August 8, 1911) 299 -- 109. The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, May 13, 1912; Ratified, May 31, 1913) 300 -- 110. Senator Boies Penrose on a Senate Investigation into Campaign Financing (The Clapp Committee) (August 21, 1912) 301 -- 111. A Newspaper Account of a Bombing at the Capitol (July 3, 1915) 304 -- 112. The Declaration of War Against Germany (April 4, 1917) 307 -- 113. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, December 18, 1917; Ratified, January 29, 1919) 309 -- 114. The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution (Submitted, June 4, 1919; Ratified, August 26, 1920) 310 -- 115. The National Prohibition Act (The Volstead Act) (October 28, 1919) 310 -- 116. Senator William E. Borah Opposes the League of Nations (November 19, 1919) 315 -- 117. The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (June 10, 1921) 320 -- 118. Senator William E. Borah Opposes the Versailles Treaty (September 26, 1921) 323 -- 119. Speaker Nicholas Longworth on Congress (January 2, 1926) 325 -- 120. McGrain v. Daugherty (January 17, 1927) 328 -- 121. An Act Designating the National Anthem (March 3, 1931) 33.