33rd United States Congress
The 33rd United States Congress , made up of the House and Senate , was the United States' legislature . Its legislative period lasted from March 4, 1853 to March 4, 1855. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class II ) were elected in the 1852 congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Democratic Party , which, along with Franklin Pierce, also provided the president. The Whig Party was only left with the role of the opposition party. The congress met in the American capital Washington, DC At that time the United States consisted of 31 states. The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 census .
Important events
- March 4, 1853: Beginning of the legislative period of the 33rd Congress. At the same time, President Franklin Pierce, who was also elected in November 1852, was introduced into his new office. He replaces Millard Fillmore .
- The entire legislative period has been shaped by tensions between the North and the South in the run-up to the American Civil War . There are already riots in some areas, especially in the later state of Kansas . See also Bleeding Kansas . In addition, the Indian Wars continue.
- April 18, 1853: Vice President William R. King dies. This also makes the official presidency of the Senate vacant.
- May 1853: 7,790 people fell victim to a yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans .
- July 8, 1853: Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry lands with his ships near Edo in Japan and forces the Japanese to open up to the west. The following year the Treaty of Kanagawa is signed between the two nations (March 31, 1854).
- December 30, 1853: With the Gadsden purchase , the United States acquires an area of 77,700 square kilometers from Mexico, which is now in the south of Arizona and New Mexico . A better route for a railroad to California is planned there, but it should never be built.
- January 4, 1854: The Kansas-Nebraska Act is introduced to Congress. It comes into force on May 30th.
- February 14, 1854: The first telegraph connection to the state of Texas is completed.
- March 20, 1854: Foundation of the Republican Party . This party was soon to oust all other parties except the Democratic Party or banish them to insignificance. Since around 1858 there have been essentially (with a few exceptions) only these two parties in the USA that are of importance in presidential or congressional elections.
- June 10, 1854: First cadets graduate from the United States Naval Academy .
- November 1854: US congressional elections. This results in a majority in the Senate for the Democratic Party. There are no clear majorities in the House of Representatives. A coalition of the short-lived Opposition Party and the American Party emerges . The United States Whig Party , which until the 1854 election was one of the two mainstream parties, is breaking up. For the last time, it will provide 13 senators. In the House of Representatives it will no longer play a role in the future 34th Congress. Its members divided among the other parties, especially the American Party and later the Republican Party.
The main laws
During the session of the 33rd Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- May 30, 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act
- March 3, 1855: Congress approves $ 30,000 for a camel corps in the army. See US Camel Corps .
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 38
- Whigs: 19
- Free Soil Party : 4
- Vacant: 1
Total: 62 at the end of the legislative period
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 156
- Whigs: 74
- Others: 4
- Vacant: 0
Total: 234 at the end of the legislative period
There were also seven congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : William R. King (D) until April 15, 1853. Thereafter the office was vacant.
- President per tempore : David Rice Atchison (D) until December 4, 1854. Then Lewis Cass (D) for one day on December 4, 1854. Jesse D. Bright (D) then held the office for the remainder of the legislature .
House of Representatives
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 33rd Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 33rd Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
- Kansas Territory : John Wilkins Whitfield (D) from December 20, 1854
- Minnesota Territory : Henry Mower Rice (D)
- Nebraska Territory : Napoleon Bonaparte Giddings (D) from January 5, 1855
- New Mexico Territory : José Manuel Gallegos (D)
- Oregon Territory : Joseph Lane (D)
- Utah Territory : John Milton Bernhisel
- Washington Territory : Columbia Lancaster (D) from April 12, 1854
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 33 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 33rd Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)
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