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The study of history is essential to understanding the human experience. By investigating the past, we can learn about the present and prepare for the future. The Roman Empire was one of the most influential empires in world history. It dominated Europe and the Mediterranean for over a thousand years. The Ottoman Empire was another great empire that controlled swathes of territory in the Middle East and North Africa. England has also played a major role in world history, particularly during the two World Wars. These are just some of the examples of how different empires have shaped our world.
Ciao, Amore, Ciao | LITERARY TITAN
Sandro Martini’s Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a soul-wrenching blend of memoir and historical fiction that begins with the quiet unraveling of a family and ends with the thunderous echoes of a nation’s buried past. Told through the eyes of a grieving son, the story moves between present-day Italy and fragments of a family's long-buried secrets,…
Edition for Educators: Norman Mineta of California | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
Since the First Congress opened in 1789, more than 11,000 people have served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Most served capably for a few terms and returned to their communities. But some lawmakers have left towering legacies and are remembered for their legislative prowess, path-breaking careers, and bold personalities. These Members of Congress, including powerful Speakers of the House, strong-willed legislators, trailblazing Representatives, and policy specialists, qualify as “Giants of the House.”Around the time of his 11th birthday in 1942, future U.S. Representative Norman Mineta of California and his family were imprisoned by the federal government in an internment camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming, created to house Japanese Americans during World War II. Released in 1945, the family returned to San Jose, California, to rebuild their lives. Mineta would later graduate from college, serve in the U.S. Army and lead the city of San Jose as mayor, before embarking on a 22-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served one term as chairman of the Public Works and Transportation Committee.In the House, Mineta sought to work with other Members on issues that impacted Asian Pacific Islander Americans, helping to create the Asian Pacific American Caucus.Well, as a member of Congress I would look at the success of the Congressional Black Caucus or the Hispanic Caucus and think, ‘Gee, we don’t have . . . a caucus that looks out after the interest of Asian Pacific Islanders.’ And so I started enquiring about [how] the Congressional Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus operated. And then called on not only Asian Pacific American Members of Congress, but more importantly those Congressional districts across the country where you would have a relatively large Asian Pacific American population, and enlist those members to join the caucus. And so we had a bipartisan caucus that dealt with . . . Asian Pacific American issues.Throughout his career, Mineta worked to address challenging issues including reparations for victims of internment. Mineta’s generation of lawmakers valued accountability and accessibility, but perhaps none more so than him. “It goes back to my own experience in terms of the evacuation and the internment of those of Japanese ancestry,” he said years later. “We didn’t have access to our political leaders at the time.”This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the historic career of Representative Norman Y. Mineta of California, a victim of internment who became a Congressman and later a Cabinet member under two different presidential administrations.From the California to the House ChamberPEOPLE PROFILE—Norman Y. Mineta of California Thirty years after being imprisoned by the United States government because of the happenstance of his ancestry, Norman Y. Mineta helped change forever the inner workings of the United States House of Representatives. Over a 20-year career in the House, the San Jose Congressman worked to make the federal lawmaking process more accountable. From the federal budget to the nation’s highway system, Mineta and his generation of reform-minded legislators redefined expectations on Capitol Hill. With the moral authority derived from having been unjustly incarcerated as a child, Mineta convinced Congress to address wartime internment and helped the country understand the sins of its past.BLOG—Edition for Educators—Asian Pacific Heritage Month California Representative Norman Mineta spent nearly four years of his childhood in an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. First elected in 1974, Mineta served 11 terms in the House of Representatives and worked to hold the legislative process accountable and address the mistakes of the past. Learn more about the efforts and accomplishments of Mineta and other Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress for Asian Pacific Heritage Month. BLOG—Edition for Educators— Transportation and Infrastructure Since the First Continental Congress, America’s national legislature has taken responsibility in different ways for America’s transportation, communication, and trade. To bolster the nation’s defenses and develop the country’s commerce, early federal lawmakers used public resources to fund the construction of military installations, postal routes, lighthouses, and ports and harbors. This Edition for Educators highlights the role the House has in setting transportation and infrastructure policy, including the work of notable committee chairman Norman Mineta of California.RECORD—Internment records The United States entered World War II in December 1941 after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, authorizing the government to evacuate persons of Japanese descent. On March 17, 1942, the Committee on Military Affairs issued House Report No. 1906, recommending the passage of H.R. 6758, which gave teeth to the executive order by creating a “penalty for violation of restrictions or orders.” Learn more about House Committee interment records.Leadership and OrganizationESSAY—From Exclusion to Inclusion, 1941–1992 In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the federal government, afraid that immigrants or their family members with Japanese ancestry had helped orchestrate the attacks from U.S. soil, uprooted more than 120,000 Japanese Americans living along the West Coast and placed them in internment camps out of “military necessity.” For these people, the war was a period of remarkable emotional and psychological trauma. Beginning in the nineteenth century, Congress and the courts prevented Japanese immigrants from becoming citizens and from participating in the political process. After 1924, Congress made them ineligible for admission into the United States entirely, and the federal government considered them a direct threat to the nation. The native-born children of Japanese immigrants were U.S. citizens, yet they were imprisoned by their own government, including four who years later would serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Because their community lacked a voice at almost every level of government, mainland Japanese Americans’ political exclusion was quickly compounded by their physical exclusion with internment.HISTORICAL DATA—Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman and Chairwomen In 1994, Members of Asian and Pacific Islander descent created the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). Inspired by the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses, CAPAC was created for Members to formally coordinate efforts to advance legislation pertaining to the interests of Asian Pacific American communities. Since its formation, the bipartisan and bicameral caucus has educated congressional colleagues on the history of the growing Asian Pacific American community in the United States and continues to build recognition in Congress. Representative Norman Mineta became the first caucus chair. This chart provides a list of individuals in caucus and conference positions. HOUSE COLLECTION—Featured Objects and ImagesNorman Y. Mineta Lapel PinCalifornian Norman Mineta represented a Silicon Valley district for 20 years. This relatively simple campaign button contained key pieces of information for his constituents, namely, the fact that he was an incumbent running for re-election and the district he represented. Mineta cofounded and chaired the Asian Pacific American Caucus, and chaired the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 103rd Congress.Norman Yoshio Mineta PortraitThe portrait of Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Norm Mineta tracks his life and career from an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II to the halls of Congress. Artists George and Jim Pollard used their signature blue-and-white background and layered it with a dream-like image of Mineta and his parents in Heart Mountain internment camp, and the Capitol appears at lower right.Additional ResourcesLearn more about Representative Norman Mineta, his life, and his achievements in these oral histories available through these institutions:Densho Digital Archive:Japanese American National Museum CollectionLibrary of Congress Veterans History ProjectLibrary of Congress, John W. Kluge Center:Protecting National Security & Civil LibertiesUnited States Capitol Historical SocietyThis is part of a series of blog posts for educators highlighting the resources available on History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives. For lesson plans, fact sheets, glossaries, and other materials for the classroom, see the website's Education section.
Your Voice Matters: Vote in the AASLH Council Election – AASLH
AASLH Members: Voting is now open in the annual Council and Leadership Nominating Committee elections. We encourage you to participate in the election and cast your vote! The election closes on June 25. The AASLH Council is the governing board of the association. Council sets policy and provides
MacArthur Park’s History of Surveillance, Refusal, and Radical Care – The Metropole
Editor’s note: In anticipation of what we all believe will be a stellar UHA conference this October 9-12 in Los Angeles, we are featuring Los Angeles as our theme this month. This is our sixth and final post; you can see others from this month as well as past pieces on the city here. In…
“They say that all women have the same apprehension”: Anxiety and Isolation in Seventeenth-Century Pregnancy – Nursing Clio
On August 19th, 1620, a young noblewoman sat alone in her château in Bayon, Lorraine. She was heavily pregnant with her first child, her isolation heightening her fears of the impending delivery. S…
Cowboy Dreams by Kaje Harper – Caz's Reading Room
The right man for a longtime cowboy might be a city slicker. Joe I've been going into Max's Place for twenty years, but tonight's different. There's a stranger at the bar with city-fancy clothes, wide shoulders, and the face of a fallen angel. I'm just an ordinary cowhand. Being gay's the most noteworthy thing about…
I’m delighted to share an excerpt from Death and the Poet, a Roman-era historical mystery by Fiona Forsyth HistoricalMystery #RomanHistoricalFiction #AncientRome #Ovid #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub – MJ Porter
Here's an exciting excerpt from Death and the Poet Ovid gives a recital July 2, or 6 days before the Nones The recital took place in the late afternoon at the town’s main square on top of the hill overlooking the harbour. Entertainment in Tomis was infrequent and modest, with maybe a serious theatre performance…
Spring AD 125 – Hadrian travels to Boeotia and Phocis and visits Delphi (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN
Four years had passed since Hadrian last saw Rome, and it was time for him to return home. In the spring of AD 125, the Emperor departed from Athens and began his journey northward to the Adriatic port of Dyrrachium. Along the way, Hadrian visited Boeotia and Phocis, where he dedicated a bear skin to…
Cruising on the Seine - KATHERINE P. STILLERMAN
We arrived at Charles deGaulle Airport on the afternoon of May 13, excited to begin our cruise down the Seine River. The staff from the Viking Cruise company met us at the baggage claim and drove us into Paris to the place where our ship was docked at Port Grenelle, just beneath […]
Reverend James Drummond MacGregor's Letter to a Clergyman: Urging Him to Set Free a Black Girl He Held in Slavery - World History Encyclopedia
James Drummond MacGregor (1759-1830) was a Presbyterian minister in Pictou, Nova Scotia, who became the first published abolitionist in Canada through his A Letter...
New Release from Historium Press - "Outback Odyssey" by Paul Rushworth-Brown
NOW AVAILABLE AT AMAZON AND ONLINE BOOKSELLERS WORLDWIDE!AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDERRELEASE DATE: JUNE 20, 2025"Outback Odyssey" tells the story of a young man from Yorkshire who emigrates to Australia in the 1950s under the Big Brother Movement scheme.Working on a sheep station with Aboriginal stockmen, he learns the ways of the outback and pursues the legend of Wiberg's Gold. This novel promises to combine the rich historical detail Rushworth-Brown is known for with the rugged allure of the Au
Claude Monet: Colors and Light - KATHERINE P. STILLERMAN
We visited the the home and gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, where the artist lived and painted for forty-three years from 1883-1926. It was mid-afternoon and the crowds were overwhelming. It was difficult to take clear shots of the magnificent surroundings without being photo bombed by those in line ahead of us. However, I […]
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