In the 1970s, America underwent a period of political turmoil. After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964, our military had become embroiled in an open-ended conflict on Vietnamese soil that was heavily protested at home and abroad, leading to civil unrest and anti-American sentiment. Bridges were being built across the racial divide between black…
This year marks the 37th anniversary of the W. R. Poage Legislative Library. In the time since its founding, our library has continually reinvented itself. What began as a repository for “Bob” Poage’s papers and the headquarters of Baylor’s Graduate School has grown into a nationally renowned legislative center encompassing Congressional collections, state and local…
Yesterday marked the 15th Anniversary of the Bullock Museum and its mission to preserve Texas history. Established in 2001, the Bullock Museum features a plethora of special exhibits and films, showcases about Texas artists and musicians, and other Texas-centric events designed to connect attendees with the Story of Texas. Governor Bullock championed the idea of…
Today marks the beginning of the last week of classes at Baylor University. Students across campus consult with professors, bury their noses in textbooks, and chain themselves to their laptops. Instructors frantically put together rubrics, draw up exams, and respond to student inquiries. The crowd at the library, already larger than average, will grow exponentially as Finals Week…
Today marks the end of our week-long look at the Bill of Rights. Last Friday, we wrote about Congress Week’s purpose and the Constitution’s continued influence on modern society. In that same spirit, today’s post discusses the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress’s (ACSC) mission to explore and archive America’s legislative branch. The…
If you haven’t heard from us in a while, there’s a good reason for that: we’ve been preparing for the most celebrated week of the year. That’s right, it’s Congress Week! Congress Week takes place during the first week of April and commemorates the 1789 month in which Congress achieved its first quorums. This year,…
Baylor University has been relatively quiet since finals week last December. The student body’s annual mid-winter migration transformed the campus into a ghost town populated by faculty, university employees, and, of course, archivists. Coincidentally, the 114th Congress is also returning to its second session, and so our first blog post of 2016 commemorates Hatton W.…
The semester is over and winter break is upon us. Many Baylorites (including our staff) are taking the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones, some even traveling hundreds of miles to spend the winter holidays with their family and friends. There are so many reasons to celebrate this month: the end of final exams, football…
We have mixed feelings about October 31st here at the Baylor Collections of Political Materials; it means our Treats & Treasures series goes back into hibernation until next fall, but also that we’ve got our pick of fun, spooky treats (and tricks!) on campus. How are we supposed to negotiate the despair of American Archives…
For this week’s installment of Treats & Treasures, we’re discussing a vibrant Waco landmark: the Brazos River. The Brazos originates in northwest Texas and eastern New Mexico and flows for 820 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Since before Stephen F. Austin’s 1821 arrival, Mexican and Indian settlers have been manipulating the river for their…