Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) became the first openly LGBT senator in 2012.
Map, visualize, and explore the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001
The Senate's attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act narrowly failed due to a surprise defection by Sen. John McCain
Explore current and historical political parties, map party control, and learn about polarization.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting by protecting voting rights. It banned poll taxes and literacy tests and required states with historians of Jim Crow discrimination to seek advance clearance before changing and requiring states with histories of Jim Crow discrimination to obtain advance clearance to change laws governing voting.