Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator - a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to improve the understanding of Congress -- http://www.webcommunicator.org.

1. People Who Served in Congress
2. Congress Defined
3. Anatomy of a Congressional Leadership Race
4. Congress in the Classroom® 2006 a Success!
5. The Civil Rights Documentation Project: April 7-8, 1964
6. Congressional Bills Project
7. Congressional Districts: 109th Congress - Worksheet
8. Postscript Information

1. PEOPLE WHO SERVED IN CONGRESS
Sketches of famous and not-so-famous Senators and Representatives

A Democrat, Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. (1897-1971) served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia 1933 until his death. He was a founder and leader of the "conservative coalition" that dominated Congress from 1937 to 1963. Russell was a prominent supporter of a strong national defense and became in the 1950's the most knowledgeable and powerful congressional leader in this area. He used his powers as chairman of the Armed Services Committee from 1951 to 1969 and then as chairman of the Appropriations Committee as an institutional base to add defense installations and jobs for Georgia. Russell, as the South's leader in the Senate, repeatedly blocked and defeated civil rights legislation. For a politician who wielded so much power and defended a system that many Americans detested, Russell was remarkably popular with colleagues and the press. His civility and incorruptibility were renowned, and he was known as a man who kept his word and kept a confidence.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Russell,_Jr Accessed August 29, 2006.


2. CONGRESS DEFINED
Words and phrases that describe congressional processes

Cloakroom. Narrow, L-shaped rooms, with well-worn leather chairs, at the back of both chambers of Congress, originally meant as a place to hang coats. Now these rooms serve as gathering places and communications centers where deals are made and votes traded. One of the few places in the Capitol off limits to the press.

Source: Dickson, Paul and Paul Clancy, The Congress Dictionary (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1993)


3. ANATOMY OF A CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP RACE

* NEW RESOURCE *

In December 1980, Republicans in the House of Representatives chose Robert H. Michel of Illinois as their leader, the Minority Leader of the House, a position he held until retiring in 1995. Anatomy of a Congressional Leadership Race uses historical materials contained in the Robert H. Michel Papers housed at The Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin, Illinois, to describe the contest. Learn more about the race and find out what a Minority Leader, at that time a Republican, did.

Anatomy of a Congressional Leadership Race: http://www.dirksencenter.org/leadershiprace/index.htm


4. CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM® 2006 A SUCCESS!

The key element to The Dirksen Center's national, award-winning education program, Congress in the Classroom® is the participation and collaboration among the teachers who attend the program.

Congress in the Classroom® is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress. The 2006 program featured a broad overview of Congress with special attention to the mid-year elections of 2006.

See who was selected to participate in this year's program -- http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm#participants --and read what they had to say about the workshop: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm#say.


5. THE CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION PROJECT: April 7-8, 1964

On this date, Senate Minority Leader Dirksen presented 40 amendments to HR 7152 to his Republican colleagues in an effort to persuade the reluctant ones to support the civil rights bill. Liberal and moderate Republicans fury only mounted when they saw language for the amendments. Hubert Humphrey was more sanguine. He had told the bipartisan Senate leadership on the 6th that "My position is no amendments, but I want to praise Dirksen. He's not trying to be destructive. He's trying to be constructive. There's no chance of getting cloture unless we have Dirksen."

What else happened in 1964? Read more about the landmark civil rights law that still affects us today by visiting The Civil Rights Documentation Project: http://www.congresslink.org/civilrights/1964.htm.


6. CONGRESSIONAL BILLS PROJECT

This public resource allows academic researchers, students, and the general public to download information about public and private bills introduced in the U.S. Congress along with information about those bills' sponsors.

Find Congressional Bills Project at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_index2.htm

7. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: 109th Congress - Worksheet

Learn more about gerrymandering and how it relates to the reapportionment and redistricting of congressional seats by completing the printable worksheet and using printable maps of the congressional districts - 109th Congress.

Find Congressional Districts: 109th Congress at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/houseofrep/2_legislativebranch.htm.


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