As Joe Biden is inaugurated as America's 46th President, browse his votes as a U.S. Senator
Robert Smalls, born enslaved in South Carolina, stole the CSS Planter and delivered it to Union troops. After the Civil War, Smalls was elected to the South Carolina legislature and later to the U.S. Congress where he served 5 terms during and after Reconstruction.
Explore current and historical political parties, map party control, and learn about polarization.
Visualize the 115th Senate and its members, compare it with the past
Under the direction of President John Adams, the Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1798, which made it a criminal offence to publish statements critical of the federal government. The first individual to be tried under the law was Rep. Matthew Lyon, who unsurprisingly had voted against its passage. Lyon was re-elected from jail.