Landmark Debates in Congress

Expert presentation and analysis of more than 50 pivotal historical debates, from the Declaration of Independence to authorizing war with Iraq

 

"If taxation is a badge of freedom, let me assure my friend that the poor people of this country are covered all over with the insignia of freemen."—Rep. William Jennings Bryan, 1894 

A fascinating look at history in the making—and an eye-opening presentation of some remarkably colorful rhetoric—Landmark Debates in Congress is a one-volume resource to more than 50 pivotal congressional debates. From colonial independence and individual rights to slavery, territorial expansion, and presidential powers, debates include the Bill of Rights (1789), the Revenue Act of 1894 (the origin of the income tax), FDR's court-packing plan (1937), Medicare and Medicaid (1965), Richard Nixon's 1974 impeachment, and the Iraq War resolution (2002).