The Legislative Branch: Timeline of Congress

Activity Overview

In this activity, students will create a timeline that represents the major events that have occurred throughout the rich history of the United States Congress. Students may research events on their own, or the teacher can provide a list. For each event, students should include a brief description of the event along with a representation of the person, idea, law, or controversy that occurred at the chosen date.

For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options and adjust the instructions accordingly.

History of the United States Congress

• March 4, 1789 - First United States Congress
• December 15th, 1791 - Bill of Rights Ratified
• September 18th, 1793 - Capitol Groundbreaking
• April 30th, 1803 - Louisiana Purchase
• May 30, 1854 - Kansas-Nebraska Act
• December 6, 1865 - 13th Amendment Ratified
• June 30, 1906 - Pure Food and Drug Act
• August 26, 1920 - 19th Amendment Ratified
• July 2, 1964 - Crisis Finally Ends

Extended Activity

After students have created their timeline of events, students can complete the extended activity for the remaining two events. Depending on the teacher preference, students can choose the following options for the additional events.

• The greatest law passed by Congress
• The most infamous law passed by Congress
• The greatest Congressman or Congresswoman
• The most infamous Congressman or Congresswoman
• An event that predicts the future of Congress or a law that they predict will be passed in their lifetime.

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

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