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1789 to the present

Political History

Pick a major event or law, follow it to the votes, and see how every legislator voted.
  1. 1Pick an event
  2. 2Follow it to the bills and votes
  3. 3Look up how any lawmaker voted

Each story starts with an event, traces the bills and roll-call votes that followed, and ends with the law. Open any vote to see every member of Congress, their party and state, and how they voted.

10events and laws so far
34recorded votes traced
2,936legislators whose votes you can look up
1864earliest vote covered

How it works

  1. The event. What happened and when, from primary and official sources.
  2. The votes. Each recorded vote in the House and Senate, with the result and the split by party.
  3. The legislators. Every member's vote, searchable by name, party, state and how they voted.

These are the first entries in a growing library. More events, laws and every recorded vote since 1789 will be added over time.

  1. 1864-1865
    The joint resolution proposing the 13th Amendment, signed by President Lincoln and members of CongressCivil War

    Ending Slavery: The 13th Amendment

    The Senate passed it in 1864. The House rejected it, then passed it seven months later after an election.

    3 recorded votes13th Amendment to the U.S. ConstitutionWho voted to abolish slavery, and who changed their vote?
  2. 1918-1920
    The opening of the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C., March 3, 1913Progressive Era

    Women's Right to Vote: The 19th Amendment

    The House passed it in 1918. The Senate voted it down twice before a new Congress sent it to the states.

    5 recorded votes19th Amendment to the U.S. ConstitutionWho voted against giving women the right to vote?
  3. 1929-1935
    President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, August 14, 1935New Deal

    The Great Depression and the Social Security Act

    After the 1929 crash, Congress created old-age insurance and unemployment insurance. One Senate change was dropped in conference.

    3 recorded votesSocial Security ActWho voted for Social Security, and what did the Senate try to change?
  4. 1941
    The USS Arizona burning after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941World War II

    Pearl Harbor and the Declaration of War

    One day after the attack, Congress declared war on Japan. One member of Congress voted no.

    2 recorded votesDeclaration of war on JapanHow did Congress vote to enter World War II?
  5. 1963-1964
    President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964Civil Rights Era

    The Civil Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

    After Birmingham and the March on Washington, Congress broke a Senate filibuster to ban segregation and job discrimination.

    4 recorded votesCivil Rights Act of 1964Which legislators were responsible for the Civil Rights Act, and who opposed it?
  6. 1964-1971
    The destroyer USS Maddox at sea, 1964Vietnam

    The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    After reported attacks on U.S. destroyers, Congress authorized the President to use force in Southeast Asia. Two senators voted no.

    2 recorded votesGulf of Tonkin ResolutionWho voted to authorize the Vietnam War?
  7. 1965
    President Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. at the signing of the Voting Rights Act, August 6, 1965Civil Rights Era

    Selma and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Johnson asked Congress for a voting rights law. It was signed five months later.

    5 recorded votesVoting Rights Act of 1965Who voted for the Voting Rights Act?
  8. 2001
    Recovery work at the World Trade Center site, September 28, 2001War on Terror

    September 11 and the Laws That Followed

    Within seven weeks of the attacks, Congress authorized military force and passed the USA PATRIOT Act.

    4 recorded votesAuthorization for Use of Military ForceWho voted for the use of force and the PATRIOT Act?
  9. 2008
    President George W. Bush signs the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, October 3, 2008Great Recession

    The 2008 Financial Crisis and the Bank Rescue

    The House voted down the $700 billion rescue, the stock market fell sharply, and four days later it passed.

    3 recorded votesEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008Who voted for and against the bank rescue?
  10. 2009-2010
    President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act, March 23, 2010Health care

    The Affordable Care Act

    The Senate passed it on Christmas Eve. The House passed the Senate bill 219-212 without a single Republican vote.

    3 recorded votesPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActWho voted for the Affordable Care Act?

Roll-call data: Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal, Boche, Rudkin and Sonnet, Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. Photos are public-domain U.S. government images; credits appear on each story. Event and law details link to the National Archives, the House and Senate historians, Congress.gov and agency histories.