36th United States Congress

36th United States Congress
Public domain · source
Congress	36th
Session year	1859
Session num	1st
Start	March 4, 1859
End	March 4, 1861
President	James Buchanan
Vice-president	John C. Breckinridge
House-speaker	William Pennington
House-majority	Republican
Senate-presidentpro	Jesse D. Bright
Senate-majority	Democratic

36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth years of James Buchanan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States conducted in 1850. The congressional elections were held in the summer and fall of 1858, with the new congress convening in March 1859, featuring prominent politicians such as Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, and Stephen A. Douglas.

● Composition

The 36th Congress was composed of Democratic, Republican, and Know Nothing members, with the Democrats holding a majority in the United States Senate and the Republicans holding a majority in the United States House of Representatives. The Senate had John C. Breckinridge as the Vice President of the United States, while the House had William Pennington as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Notable members included Charles Sumner, Henry Wilson, John Sherman, and Thaddeus Stevens, who played important roles in shaping the legislative agenda, including the debate over the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.

● Major Events

The 36th Congress witnessed significant events, including the Panic of 1857, the Buchanan administration's handling of the Utah War, and the John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, which heightened tensions leading up to the American Civil War. The Congress also saw the emergence of Abraham Lincoln as a national figure, with his Cooper Union speech and his nomination for President of the United States at the 1860 Republican National Convention. Other notable events included the Battle of Pyramid Lake and the Comstock Lode discovery, which drew attention to the Nevada Territory and the California Gold Rush.

● Major Legislation

The 36th Congress passed several significant pieces of legislation, including the Homestead Act, which allowed settlers to claim land for free, provided they lived on it and farmed it for five years, and the Morrill Tariff, which raised taxes on imported goods to protect American industry. The Congress also passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed new states to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required the return of escaped slaves to their owners. Other notable laws included the Pacific Railroad Acts and the Land-Grant College Act of 1862, which were influenced by the ideas of Justin Smith Morrill and Daniel Webster.

● Leadership

The leadership of the 36th Congress included Jesse D. Bright as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate and William Pennington as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Other notable leaders included John C. Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas, and William Seward, who played important roles in shaping the legislative agenda and responding to the growing tensions leading up to the American Civil War. The Congress also saw the emergence of new leaders, such as Schuyler Colfax and Henry Winter Davis, who would go on to play important roles in the 37th United States Congress and the Reconstruction Era.

● Membership

The membership of the 36th Congress included many notable figures, such as Charles Sumner, Henry Wilson, John Sherman, and Thaddeus Stevens, who were influential in shaping the legislative agenda and responding to the growing tensions leading up to the American Civil War. Other notable members included Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, and Stephen A. Douglas, who would go on to play important roles in the 1860 presidential election and the American Civil War. The Congress also included members from the Know Nothing Party, such as Nathaniel P. Banks and Henry Gardner, who advocated for nativism and anti-Catholicism.

● Elections

The elections for the 36th Congress were held in the summer and fall of 1858, with the new congress convening in March 1859. The elections saw the Republican Party gain seats in the House of Representatives and the Democratic Party maintain its majority in the United States Senate. Notable elections included the Illinois Senate election, 1858, in which Abraham Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas, and the New York Senate election, 1859, in which William Seward was elected to the United States Senate. The elections set the stage for the 1860 presidential election, in which Abraham Lincoln would run against Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell.

Category:United States Congresses