The Library of Congress

Unit Information

U.S. House of Representatives
Congresswoman Molly Barger, California

INTERNAL STAFF MEMO

From:   Representative Barger

To:       [Student Name]

Re:       Reservations Issue

Welcome to D.C. I am glad that you are finally settled in your new apartment and are with us at long last. I expect that you are ready to tackle your internship with our staff.

Your first assignment is to advise me regarding the issue of gambling on American Indian reservations. A lot of mail has been arriving on both sides of this very hot issue. I need to be fully informed, so that I might respond knowledgeably to these letters, and also on the floor of the House and during visits back to our home district.

As you no doubt realize, I will need to be briefed on the history of U.S. reservation policy, how it has developed and changed over the years. What have been the major issues and differences, and how have they been resolved? What are the rights and responsibilities of both the government and the tribes? How does gambling relate to other issues? How is it affecting California differently from the other states?

You have many excellent resources at your disposal, the Library of Congress collection, plus links to outside online resources-- not to mention the excellent staff which may assist you. Please make use of primary source documents in your research whenever possible ( i.e., legislation, treaties, interviews, and historical documents.)

By the way, PowerPoint is installed on the office network, and we hope that you will be able to make use of it in your presentation. Please bring any other visual aids which might aid you in presenting your findings to me. I look forward to seeing you this Friday!

We are counting on you! Good luck!