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HIST 325 - Busch

Course guide for Tracy Busch's American Women's History class.

RESOURCE FOR THIS RESEARCH

Finding your legislation and the votes on your legislation:

  1. Navigate to https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/browse#sort=relevance – this is the advanced search (we are advanced users).
  2. Search with the code for your earlier legislation (i.e H.R. 7152 of 1964)
  3. Use the Advanced Search options on the left to select the correct Congress (i.e. 88thth Congress – don’t see this? Google!).
  4. Look for and select the Details tab. Then select Votes.
  5. Leave that tab open. Open a second tab and repeat steps 1-4 with your later legislation.

Compare your legislatiors!

Who was a) alive and b) in office in the House or Senate and voting on your legislation in both the earlier and later legislation? No easy way to do this, this is why you have two tabs with the earlier and later legislation up at the same time. Try to find 10 members of congress who voted on both pieces of legislation! Remember that legislation starts in the House and then goes to the Senate – usually under different names, you’ll need 5 of each (House and Senate).

 

House:

  1. _____________
  2. _____________
  3. _____________
  4. _____________
  5. _____________

Senate:

  1. _____________
  2. _____________
  3. _____________
  4. _____________
  5. _____________

CONSIDER THIS

  • How did the vote go on your issue with the earlier legislation vs. the later legislation?
  • Democrat vs. Republican?
  • Who didn’t vote at all?
  • Did the members you found change their voting ideology between the earlier and later legislation?
  • Is your list of congressional members similar to the lists of your classmates?
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