The following is a guest post by Megan Lulofs, a Legal Information Analyst in the Public Services Division. Meg has previously posted on a variety of topics including House Committee Hearings Video, the Cardiff Giant, the Canadian Library of Parliament, football blackouts, and librarian services.
The U.S. Senate has a new website to showcase the history and contributions of each of the 50 states to our upper chamber: States in the Senate. Learn more about your own state, or one of the other 49. I grew up in Virginia, but my Mom grew up in Hawaii, so let’s use the Aloha State as an example of what States in the Senate has to offer.
Clicking on the state first takes you to the two sitting Senators (Akaka and Inouye for Hawaii).
The top navigation bar will take you to the state’s history in the Senate (click “Senators”), or to the state’s art, communities, elections and leadership (click “Timeline”).
I clicked on “Art” from the Timeline and discovered a familiar face.
This statue of King Kamehameha is part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It lives in the Capitol Visitor Center. Did you know that it is the third casting of the exact same King Kamehameha statue in front of the Judiciary History Center (Ali’iolani Hale) in Honolulu?
States in the Senate is a great resource for teachers and students, but more broadly, it helps us learn about one another as citizens. Virginia couldn’t be farther away from Hawaii, or more different than Texas or Minnesota or New York, but understanding what each state has brought to our national legislature can only strengthen our union. Plus, the pictures are amazing. If you enjoy States in the Senate, visit the Law Library’s counterpart, Guide to Law Online: U.S. States and Territories.