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House of Commons records

 Record Group
Identifier: RG-14-020

Scope and Contents

Although the House of Commons was originally founded in 1884, these records date almost exclusively from its re-founding in 1981 to 1985. There is, however, one folder which contains the club's original Constitution and By-Laws, dated c. 1884, as well as a constitution for a similar club founded at Princeton University by Woodrow Wilson. The remainder of this record group consists of meeting announcements, membership lists, correspondence and The House Record, the club's newsletter. A guide to the records can be found in the file entitled "Explanation of Records." These records, arranged in one series, are filed in alphabetical order by file title.

Dates

  • Creation: 1981-1985

Creator

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

History

The House of Commons was founded in 1884 by graduate student Woodrow Wilson. The group was based on a similar organization, the Liberal Debating Club, founded by Wilson (as an undergraduate) at Princeton University. The House of Commons immediately caused controversy, as many students felt that it should be modeled after the United States House of Representatives rather than the British House of Commons. Although the club was popular at its inception, Hopkins students soon lost interest. By 1891, the club was complaining of poor attendance and even had to lower its quorum level to three members. In 1892, the House of Commons was discontinued due to lack of leadership.

In 1981, the first step in reviving the House of Commons was taken with the founding of the Student Parliament. Later that year, it changed its name to the Parliamentary Forum, and in 1982 was re-chartered as the House of Commons. The new club has revived the art of parliamentary debating at Hopkins, arguing social, economic and international issues. After revising its constitution, the group started to publish its own newsletter, The House Record. Today, the club continues to sponsor debates as well as movies, discussions and intercollegiate conferences.

Extent

0.19 Cubic Feet (1 letter half-size document box)

Language of Materials

English

Provenance

Records of the House of Commons were given to the Archives by Jeffrey Lurie, Chairman, 1984.

Accession Number

84.4

Processing Information

Finidng aid prepared by Sean DiGiovanna and Wendell O'Brien.

Title
House of Commons records
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA