You might be surprised to learn that there are several “official” versions of the Second Amendment. One of these versions, passed by Congress, reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Another version, ratified by…
The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances Plainly,…
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,…
Black History Month (also known as African-American History Month) initially began in 1926 as “Negro History Week,” an event during the second week of February designed to encourage the study and teaching of American black history in public schools. By the 1960s, political and cultural turbulence surrounding historic events such as the passage of the…
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…
On September 21st, 1979, the W.R. Poage Legislative Library was born. Thirty-six years later, Baylor Collections of Political Materials continues to uphold the vision of the library’s founders: to pay tribute to W.R. Poage, a Baylorite “whose long career in government service on the state and national level epitomized genuine statesmanship”. Our facility began as…
Today’s guest post comes from Ray Smock. Mr. Smock is director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He served as Historian of the U. S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and was a planner of the bicentennial commemoration of Congress in 1989. This…
This week the Poage Library is celebrating the 225th birthday of the United States Congress. “Congress Week” is the creation of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC). It takes place during the first week of April each year, commemorating the month in which Congress achieved its first quorums in 1789. Its…
Today we are honoring John F. Kennedy. We extend a warm welcome to friends and guests to our current exhibition commemorating our nation’s 35th president. We are hosting an all day open house here at the Poage with a program entitled, “Where were you? Reflections on November 22, 1963” at 3pm. For more details, visit…