The AHA’s Congressional Briefings series seeks to provide Congressional staff members, journalists, and other members of the policy community with the historical context essential to understanding contemporary issues. The sessions are strictly nonpartisan and avoid advancing particular policy prescriptions or legislative agendas.

The AHA’s briefings have been attended by staffers from the House of Representatives and the Senate, the White House, and federal agencies and research institutions, and have informed policy decisions at the highest level.

To learn about the history of the Congressional Briefing series, please check out Back in Session: The Return of the Congressional Briefings Program by Dane Kennedy (Perspectives on History, 2023).

The AHA is grateful to the Mellon Foundation for its generous support of the Congressional Briefings series.

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Upcoming Congressional Briefings

Historical Perspectives on Transportation Safety Regulations

Thursday, May 9, 9 a.m. ET
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2075

Panelists Janet Bednarek (Univ. of Dayton), Jeff Davis (Eno Center for Transportation), and Peter Norton (Univ. of Virginia) will provide historical context on federal transportation regulations, with a particular focus on the aviation, railroad, shipping, and automobile industries. Alexandra Levy (American Historical Association) will serve as moderator. A breakfast spread and coffee will be served. 

Historical Perspectives on Gerrymandering

Thursday, May 16, 9 a.m. ET
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2060

Panelists Joanne Freeman (Yale Univ.), Nancy Beck Young (Univ. of Houston), and Julian Zelizer (Princeton Univ.) will provide historical context on gerrymandering. James Grossman (American Historical Association) will serve as moderator. A breakfast spread and coffee will be served. 

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Past Congressional Briefings

Historical Perspectives on Sanctions

The AHA hosted a Congressional Briefing on February 6, 2024, offering historical perspectives on the role and impact of sanctions as an instrument of international relations. Panelists Ben Coates (Wake Forest Univ.), Bruce W. Jentleson (Duke Univ.), and Nancy Mitchell (North Carolina State Univ.) provided historical context on sanctions. Dane Kennedy (George Washington Univ.) served as moderator.

The recording of the briefing is available to watch on the AHA's YouTube channel. Download the handout as a PDF. 

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Historical Perspectives on Federal Housing Policy

The AHA hosted a Congressional Briefing on November 29 2023, to offer historical perspectives on the impact of federal housing policy. Panelists Lizabeth Cohen (Harvard Univ.), N. D. B Connolly (Johns Hopkins Univ.), and D. Bradford Hunt (Loyola Univ., Chicago) have published important books relating to housing challenges facing American communities; they will draw on that work to provide historical context on housing policy issues that Congress engages. AHA executive director James Grossman served as moderator. The recording of the briefing is available to watch on the AHA's YouTube channel. Download the handout as a PDF. 

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Historical Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

The AHA hosted a Congressional Briefing on October 20, 2023, offering historical perspectives on the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence. Moderator Matthew L. Jones (Princeton Univ.) and panelists Janet Abbate (Virginia Tech), Matthew Connelly (Columbia Univ.), and Jeffrey R. Yost (Univ. of Minnesota) placed the current conversations and policy debates on artificial intelligence into historical context. The C-SPAN recording from the briefing will air on December 30 and be available online. Download the handout as PDF. 

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History of US-China Relations

The AHA hosted a Congressional Briefing on September 29, 2023, on the history of relations between the United States and China. Moderator Tobie Meyer-Fong (Johns Hopkins Univ.) and panelists Kenneth Pomeranz (Univ. of Chicago), Shellen Xiao Wu (Lehigh Univ.), and Tim Weston (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) provided historical context on US-China scientific exchanges, Chinese nationalism in relation to Sino-American relations, and recent demographic and political changes within China. The recording of the briefing is available to watch on the AHA's YouTube channel. Download the handout as a PDF. 

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History of Immigration on the Southern US Border

On July 28, 2023, the AHA hosted a Congressional Briefing that placed the issue of immigration along the southern US border in historical context. Geraldo Cadava (Northwestern Univ.), Nara Milanich (Barnard Coll., Columbia Univ.), and Mae Ngai (Columbia Univ.) presented historical perspectives on the southwestern border as the main site of controversy over immigration to the US. Watch the recording on C-SPAN.

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Check out articles on past Congressional Briefings at Perspectives on History. Many briefings were recorded by C-SPAN and are available on the AHA’s YouTube channel.