In this activity, students will create a timeline that represents the major events that have occurred throughout the rich history of the United States Congress. Students may research events on their own, or the teacher can provide a list. For each event, students should include a brief description of the event along with a representation of the person, idea, law, or controversy that occurred at the chosen date.
For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options and adjust the instructions accordingly.
Extended Activity
After students have created their timeline of events, students can complete the extended activity for the remaining two events. Depending on the teacher preference, students can choose the following options for the additional events.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a timeline detailing the history of the U.S. Congress.
Debates help students analyze and discuss historical decisions, making Congress’s impact more relevant and memorable.
Choose an event from your timeline, such as the Bill of Rights Ratification or the Kansas-Nebraska Act, so students can connect their research to a real issue.
Divide the class into groups or pairs and assign each side a perspective—for example, supporters and opponents of the legislation or decision. This encourages critical thinking and empathy.
Encourage students to use both primary and secondary sources to build their cases. This step strengthens research skills and helps students use evidence in arguments.
Moderate the debate, ensuring respectful discussion. Afterward, debrief as a class to discuss how the event shaped Congress and what students learned about legislative decision-making.
Creating a timeline activity is an easy and effective way to help students learn about the history of the U.S. Congress. It allows them to organize key events chronologically and visually understand the evolution of Congress over time.
To boost engagement, let students choose events to research, add illustrations, and present their timelines as posters or gallery walks. You can also provide multiple templates and allow creative expression through design and summaries.
Key events to include are the First United States Congress (1789), Bill of Rights Ratification (1791), Capitol Groundbreaking (1793), Louisiana Purchase (1803), and significant amendments or acts like the 13th Amendment and 19th Amendment.
Try having students create a timeline poster for a class gallery walk or design digital timelines with illustrations. You can also encourage them to predict future Congressional events or laws for added creativity.
For younger students, provide a list of events and templates. For older students, allow independent research, deeper analysis, and more complex illustrations or presentations to match their skill levels.