House of representatives. And im a historian, has going. And we want to talk today about the history of African American representation in the 20th century. And we have a lot of artifacts, from house collection, they have to do with that in a lot of history to cover. In the last African American sort of to be elected in the 19th century leaves a 1901, george white of North Carolina. And then its a long time before another African American comes into the house, and that is oscar to priest from illinois. And we have a couple of really rare artifacts from this man, from the 19 twenties and thirties. But before a legit because i love them so much, matt, tell us a little bit about oscar, and how he got into congress . So theres a long period, almost three decades after George Henry White leaves congress, where there is no African Americans who served in either house or the senate. And that has everything to do with a gym crow laws that go in the books in the south. In the way that changes over time during these decades, its that there is a critical thing going on in the south, where African Americans begin to leave the south, and move northward as part of a multi decade movement, that would later be called the great migration. And that begins on the painting on which historian you talk, to 18 nineties in runs really through world war ii. It picks up momentum around world war i. As there is a need in the north to fill industrial jobs and jobs that had been occupied by men who are now off to fight the war. And you see tens of thousands of African Americans moving northward for the first time. Out of the rural south, out of the agricultural jobs, to industrial jobs in chicago, st. Louis, cleveland, pittsburgh, new york. And overtime, the African American population in the citys increases, and the African Americans in the cities are gradually recruiting by the political parties. And oscar the priest is a perfect example of that process. He actually is born in the south, he and his family are a part of a group called the exit dusters, who moved to the midwest to chances. He actually goes to grade school, and high school in chances. But he finds its way into chicago in the 18 nineties and he moves up in the political system. He become chicagos city councilman, in the mid 19 teens. And his career has some peaks and valleys, by the 1920s. He is part of the republican political machine in chicago. As an alderman, and in 1928, when a sitting congressman from chicago, a very powerful republican in who was martin mad and he passes away halfway in the congress, in the fall election, the priest runs for a seat. And he winds. So in 1929 he comes to the house of representatives. You know, one of my favorite things about oscar de priest career, is this little tiny button that we have in the collection, that is from his career. Its a tiny, its really small, it says de priest for congress with a picture of. In one of the things i love most about it is they are very rare, they are probably not many around initially. And very few survived. I think we have seen maybe one other, maybe two others in existence. But, if you think about this tiny little button, worn on someones love pale, looking for all the world like any other button, this actually represents a revolution. The attempt to elect an African American in congress for the first time in decades. So just presents this little into a corner diameter piece of metal, wouldve been a real statement on the part of whomever was wearing it. And i love that it has survived, and that it has come back to the place that whoever own this wanted de priest to end up, which was the u. S. Congress. And when he got here, he then found a lot of, a lot that he was interested, in a lot that came to him that perhaps he didnt ask for. In the way of how he was received, the issues he handled, all kinds of stuff like that. And he doesnt up being sort of the surrogate representative for African Americans in general, right . Absolutely. It must have been interesting shift for him, because he come up through the chicago political machine. And while he had advocating for his constituency in chicago, as far as the African American south side of chicago, he didnt get the sense that he really embraced this role, as a representative of African Americans generally. Until he comes to congress. And a couple of things happened right off the bat, almost immediately. They really forced him to take a really public role for African American political rights. He is, symbolically, and in fact the first African American to serve in a long time. But when he comes to congress, there is a bit of a firestorm in the press. It was tradition for the first lady in this case louis hoover, herbert hoovers life to have tea for all a congressional wives, spouses, now a day would say, but wives back in the 19, late 19 twenties. And that caused consternation because there were several Southern States that objected to the fact that the wives of their members of Congress Might actually have to have tea in the white house with an African American woman. There were even Southern States that had their own legislation passed resolutions asking who were to make sure this didnt happen. What you are good, was to divide the tea party into a couple different sessions and the line that jesse de priest, i asked his wife was invited to was a very carefully preselected small group of congresswomen, who she knew wouldnt object. This got out there in the press, and de priest, oscar to praise just spoke up about it. This is the first roadblock that he runs into. Another one happens here, in the housed about where his office is located. Yes people dont want their offices to be next to him, they said i will not serve, i do want to be serving with an African American. And we were doing some research recently on the history of who had white office in a difference house Office Buildings, in the Office Building than just nonna as the house Office Building, it turned out that the place that oscar de priest was assigned was a bathroom. In the rift of the plumbing and turned it into an office for him. One has to wonder, did they choose that particular space to rip out because it could happen at the lastminute in the would perhaps just sidestep . People objecting in advance because he didnt know they didnt think anybody would be next to them they thought just a bathroom would be next door. But its definitely these things that bubble up from a lot of primary source research, that our offices do. You we learned the stories behind the stories. Whenever episode happens late in de priest the rear, when i staffer, essentially his chief of staff in a family member, they are asked to leave the house restaurant. And they are moved to a segregated room where African Americans can get lunch in a joint space. And de priest objected to this, unsurprisingly. And defended his secretary, and chief of staff, and went after the chairman of what was then called the accounts committee in the house. Lindsay warren of North Carolina who had dictated that the restaurant needed to be segregated. And he comes on to the house floor, and the press plays a lot of attention to this person. His line is essentially if we cant have freedom, if we cant have equality under the dome of the capital, then wearing gods names are gonna get it . And the house creates a special committee to investigate segregation in the restaurant, but the issue dies in that committee. And the restaurant remains segregate it, well into the 20th century. Thats kind of interesting. Because it brings up, for me, thinking about not just the experience of African American members in the 19th century, in early part of the 20th century. But whats the experience of African American staff, there. And the restaurants are really good example, because in the 19th wintry, the privilege and responsibility and job of running the house restaurant was given as a concession. Somebody could have almost like a franchise, and guess, of running. That and then the 18 sixties after the civil war is, over that is awarded to a famous African American restaurant, and hes up in newport, he is a fabricator up there. He comes down to run the restaurant, and his experience really is as someone who is a businessman operating in that space. And in the reconstruction period, there are some salient examples of African Americans getting some sort of the pioneers of on staff. And in the same way that the reconstruction period in African American members, is there are very few numbers but they managed to be in positions that are have not been created for them. Positions that you have some weight and purpose in the house. And some symbolic importance, in fact, these individuals were put in those positions. One of them was william smith. Who was appointed as house librarian in the 1880s, to the point in position its one of the most prominent positions in the institution, and he is at what 0. 1 of the ranking African Americans in the federal government. And he had been brought along, slowly, he first came to the house during the civil war. And he had been promoted by radical republicans, like other senators who had helped him push along in his career. Another one who is appointed to reconstruct, is the first African American pictures from the house on the floor. He was from manchester, virginia just south from richmond. And he is appointed by a member who is part of the reconstructed virginia government, he is a carpetbagger from the north union officer. And he served in a district that represented its environments. And he is appointed in 1870, when we know he serves about a year and a half in the house. And hes also, the other connection there, is that he is the great rent never you, of john langston, who was in washington at the time. I think he was a dean or president of Howard University at the time. Later is gonna be in congress there too. So its this network. Theres this interesting kind of network of people who know other people who are able to move pieces around and make things happen. And then, we get from George Downing in the 18 sixties all the way up to the chief of staff for oscar are de priest being refused service in the house. And oscar de priest then, later in his career, he also takes on these issues that need championing, and arent necessarily specifically are laid it to his constituency. And does then become a National Figure. In another object we have in the house collection that relates to that is a program for a speech given in dayton, ohio, very far from chicago. It doesnt even say what hes been talk about. They just wrote speaking. And it happens at a high school, theres gonna be a band, theres all kind of terrific who call around the whole thing. Hes presented as a statesman, who is important to the African American community. So towards the end of his career, and imagine early in his congressional career also, its part of that notion of surrogate representation. The fact they are representing people beyond the borders im your district or your state, you are National Figure. But then, we dont really think of oscar de priest that much is a National Figure. We do. But many people dont. But there are some who soon or after, start to arrive, who do become National Figures. Yes, de priest leads to congress in 1930, five hes defeated for reelection by another African American from chicago, who is a democrat. Arthur mitchell. And he is the first African American elected as a democrat in congress. And what you begin to see in that decade of the 1930s, into the 19 forties, you see it very clearly in this chicago district where de priest its from. There is a shift in African American allegiance, away from the republican party, the party of late good, the party of reconstruction. To the Democratic Party, towards the new deal. And part of that, has to do with the fact that African Americans are recruited by Democratic State leaders. Theres the promise of greater political participation, which is that promise that pulled African Americans out of the south, during the great migration to begin with. And also, the fact that they had a slight or greater voice in that new deal, coalition that Franklin Roosevelt put together. So they began to be drawn towards the Democratic Party. Mitchell is the embodiment of that. Mitchell, however, its completely the opposite of de priest. He chooses not to be a surrogate representative, he downplays the fact that hes an African American in congress. He doesnt want to push black issues per se as he told the press on numerous occasions. He serves for a couple of, terms and he is replaced by another member named wayne dawson. Who is one of the longest serving African Americans inhouse history. Dawson, again, another individual who started office as a republican and moved to the Democratic Party in chicago. And he is important because by the late 1940s he chairs a committee that will become, we now call, it oversight and government reform. It was Government Operations back in the 1940s. And he chairs that committee, really, with the exception of a single term. For the rest of his career. So for two decades. Hes another member who comes into the institution, and unlike de priest who challenges things frontal and, he feels like he can make changes by feeding into the institution. And trying to effect change, from his position of power. Through committee chain. And one of the interesting things is that in addition to being committee chair, its being part of that institutional approach to things. He then has a portrait of himself, as Many Committee chairman did, created and its one of the first portraits of African American in the u. S. Congress. Which really raises it to a very elevated place in our restoration. William dawsons portrait, its the first African American Committee Chairmen portrait in the collection, and hes the first ever African American men in the chair coming in the house. Its a wonderful portrait in that it really represents him as the embodiment of a permanent chair. It is not one where there is lots of other elements in there to give you clues to hockey is, its really about the stature of the man. He is standing alone, he standing in a very conservative blue suit, he looks like a member of congress. And thats the thing thats really important, part of this is in part of its approach is that people were working in congress has members, was to be part of this important institution. And he uses that and becomes an incredibly long serving committee chair. So William Dawson as chairman of Government Operations was a member who had a legislative style and was very much a workforce style, always behind the scenes, he didnt want to be in the media. Very quiet, determined, but very lowkey. He contrasts his style of legislating contrasts markedly with a fellows who is represented here in these objects. Well this is a wonderful book we have. By one of my favorite members of congress. This was published, right back after hes elected in 1944 against serving 1945, and he was definitely a man ready with a program for progress. And hes ready to tell you all about it. He was the pastor of a church in harlem, he represented a harlem district and he serves a really long, a very long time in congress. This is from the beginning of his congressional career, this later moving from wax. A recording he made, a series of speaking meditations. On a number of different issues. And this is about his career, which was very long, and he is willing to, austin has a very different approach to how to do things. All human beings, black and white, rich and poor, equal in the senate. Keep your faith in the life of your fellow men, and even though he abuses you. When he abuses you, he makes himself a lesser man. Oh great man one said, less than the curfew, you go to them and hate you with pray, praying, paris, pray. They will spitefully use you, keep your faith. Up to the 1970s, he kind of embodied the civil rights in the house. The civil rights in congress. He selected in 1944, he and dawson are the only two members of congress for a number of congress is until the early 19 fifties. And two very contrasting styles. Whereas dawson is very behind the scenes, his foul is out front talking to the media, pushing against single nation practices in the house restaurant. In the press galleries, in terms of the accreditation of African American reporters, he is constantly pushing the envelope. There is a great story that weve covered in our book, black americans and congress, where is this man revered at the long speaker of the house from texas, has a conversation with powell when he first comes in. And the gist of it is, freshman listened quietly, and learn. And dont go causing the rockets. You can imagine how this new yorker listening to this texan from bottom texas, explain to him the weight of the house. I looked at him and said mister speaker, i have a bomb in both hands and im ready to hurl them. But he had a great relationship with this man. According to the accounts afterwards. But he is constantly pressing the envelope in the house, he gets on to the education labor committee, very influential committee. Particularly by the 1960s, when we go through a reform period, during the kennedy and johnson administrations. Particularly, at the start of the great society, with lyndon johnson. Hes chairman of the committee and he pushes through 50 different measures, related to education reforms. So i very substantive legislator, in addition to being, having a show horse, very flamboyant. One of the things i think its interesting is those two aspects, because theres a part where he is known as mr. Civil rights, and he is very willing to champion civil rights on all levels both legislatively, and into the life of the. House and remember me telling the once about you have something as seemingly minor us sitting in the House Chamber. And where you sit in the House Chamber, that to come up for him. Theres another story that one of his biographer styles, so seeding in the House Chamber is open. As long as you respect the party block tradition, democrats and the speakers, and republicans and speaker left. But when pell came in, it was a very prominent southern member who told the press this man was a chairman of the committee, and he said im refused to sit next to a black man on the house floor. And so it pal data was followed him around for a day on the floor, this very Senior Member, and take a seat next to him every time he sat down. And forced this very Senior Member to move around the chamber, which a lot of people took note of, including the press. Afterwards powell told a reporter im a baptist minister by training, and i dont know whether to baptize that main around him. Topol had a good sense of humor. He serves for the early 1970s, so hes one of the longer serving African Americans inhouse history. You have to remember when pell came into congress in mid 1940s, there was no large civil rights movement, it was happening outside of congress. There was nothing happening. And that doesnt come along until the 19 fifties, with martha and Martin Luther king, in the southern christian leadership conference. So paul is very much a face of civil rights in the u. S. , for more than a decade. But then, once that movement begins happening outside of congress, as one of his biographers told us, he begins to compete with them a little bit. Because hes no longer the face of civil rights. And over time his attendance, his behavior, becomes a little bit more erratic. The house actually in the late 1960s refuses to see ten, the Supreme Court rules that he is in fact entitled to be seated. But, by the late 1960s, he has kind of run the course of his career. And he leads to house in the early 1970s. And in some cases, we see that in the artifacts we have in the house collection, in the case of this late artifact from 1967. Keep the faith, baby. This recording in which he is he is speaking over the heads of congress, and directly to the people, very much by producing this. And hes in great order, he was a terrific printer. And if you ever see your friend film clip of him its really quite something. And he then releases this on jubilee records as another example of the ways he is inserting himself into the conversation. We have two artifacts in the collection that are similar in style and usage, but small differences in them really show a change in African American serving in congress. With our just a 15 year period from the late fifties to the mid seventies. So the late fifties object is a fan, and its called the nations in eager congressman. It was clearly printed in many large numbers, which were passed out for free. In the late fifties, it contained a big picture of the capital, and for members of congress. For african and African American members of the congress was formed at the town time on that house. And then if you jump forward to the mid seventies, instead of four members of congress, and a picture of the capital, ive got a credit there that they eliminated that, language has changed. Now instead of need more congressman its black lawmakers in congress. And there are over a dozen members there. And it really shows the before and after in the particular time in American History congressional history. It kind of really covers through the sixties, in the early seventies. The change that happened for African Americans in congress, right . He has to change happens in the middle of that period. The passage of the Voting Rights act in 1965, its standing protections to African American voters in the south, allowing them to register. And that has some breathing implications for quite literally changing the face of congress. Over the course of the next decade. In 1965, there were just six African American serving in congress, but all in the house. By the mid 1970s that number has grown to 18 members. And its overtime its an increasingly diverse lot. We get our first African American women, in 1969. But more specifically to the Voting Rights act, which protects and voters in districts where they had a harder time registering previously, because of local laws and state laws. And disenfranchisement. We have the First Southern members elected since reconstruction, the entry young from georgia, and another one from texas. And, as the numbers of African Americans in congress inquiries, one thing that this allows the court to do, is to create an issues caucus. So in 1971, we have the formation of the Congressional Black Caucus. Which is a group of roughly a dozen members at that point, but its able to exercise in power as a voting bloc. Impasse is an organization which educates members on issues that are important for the black immunity nation. So the this becomes involved a very early on. And things like opposing apartheid, in south africa. Building momentum to pass a federal holiday, to commemorate Martin Luther king birthday. So its operating in a legislative level, but inside the institution, as well, its important to African American members. Because its doing things like getting them on to bigger and Better Committees. And into positions where they can influence a broader range of legislation. One of my favorite parts of this collection is campaign buttons. Especially as they were really to African American lawmakers. We have some from very early period in the early 20th century, and then we have others as a number of members in congress grows and grows. African members are represented more and more by a variety of number of buttons. One of my favorites are from a fascinating member, he comes in as everyone does and then ultimately comes to chair the committee of the house. In fact, weve got a button right here, on dellums, clearly from a Reelection Campaign of his. And already moving, on some of the most interesting things he was, doing in ways that he operated within the house. Dellums is likely to congress in the 1970s election. He comes into the house in 1971. He is a veteran, he had run on an anti war movement, running against the war in vietnam. He represents berkeley, california, which has a strong antiwar constituency. And he wants to get on committees where he can get to affect military policy. So he against a lobby and to get on into the Armed Services committee. Hes also a cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus, in 1971. And he uses that caucus to help move into a position where he can get on Armed Services, and one of the stresses he told us in more history, it was going to speaker of the house and appealing to speaker all bird to put him on Armed Services. And this was in effect going around the committee chairman, who was a southern dixiecrat from louisiana and he went into make this pitch, with his fellow Congressional Black Caucus. Colleagues and bill clay, with clay playing bad, cobb and stokes playing good cop. And dellums trying to weave his way in the committee. He says, you know we did, we got all of the members of the cpc on various committee, but we couldnt do anything for that. So thats when we started talking. And, i wouldnt want to destroy the mister speaker, you looked rather comfortable. And if you dont put the brother on the committee, youre gonna denounce this as a racist institution, and were gonna call a press conference. So he got that nice guy going, this is a matter of principle. Hes on most of these issues. Bill clay said this is about fairness and justice. So at a certain point, he got up and said, im gonna see if i can get this name to consider. At that moment i knew i had one. So we walked out an isolated silver, its a really big thing for us to. Fact that the speaker said theyre gonna reconsider it, its done. Okay . An hour and a half later, i get this phone call, on the first African American appointed to the house Armed Services committee. An incredible thing. So, dellums gets on to the committee. Finds out from speaker albert that he has got the assignment, but thats only half the battle because he shows up on the day that the committee is being organized and he realizes that there is just one seat that has been put out for him at the day is. That seat is going to have to be shared with patch road or, another anti war candidate who had come into congress in that session. First day we organize, pat rotor, who had just one as a freshman, was on Armed Services. Two of us are at the bottom of the run. But theres only chair available. One chair available at the Committee Table nobody wanted, they did not one another seat there. Theres just one seat. I looked at Pat Schroeder and introduced myself. I said my name is ron dellums. Im honored to be here with you. My grandmother taught me not to let people make fun of you cheaply. If its okay with you, its cool with me. Why dont you and i sit in this seat side by side together as if its the most normal thing in the world. He said, cool. We said on this one seat for the entire Organization Meeting and never acted as if even though we wanted to scream, we said, no, we just lit our silence and our behavior handle it. He did not know what to do because we did not scream. So the next time two seats were there. We made our point and we moved on. Dellums service on that Committee Really reflects a wider period of reform in the house where the power of Committee Chairs is rolled back and junior members, and a diversity of members, African Americans and women, get bigger and Better Committee assignments. Within a congress, representative dellums is part of a group that helps or remove the original chairman from the committee and put in another chairman. Eventually, by the end of his career, he chairs the Armed Services committee. One of the other changes that is going on here as more African Americans are elected to congress in the decades of the 1970s, eighties and nineties, we see for the first time women represented in that group. The very first was surely chisholm, was elected from a Brooklyn Center district in 1968. She comes into the house in 1969 and someone who has very much a kind of show horse legislative style. She is out talking to the press. Shes very much part of a feminist wave of Women Congress members. She serves alongside members. She eventually serves on the house rules committee, which is a powerful committee in the house. But throughout her career, its kind of another person who is a symbolic or surrogate representative, not only for African Americans, but for women. Following her throughout the next four decades are roughly 40 African American women who are elected to congress. Thats an impressive number when you look at that number relative from the African Americans that have served in congress from the beginning. Its a much larger percentage than caucasian women or Hispanic Women or Asian American women. Again, the rising influence in the community and their role in congress. One thing thats interesting about looking at women in congress and African American women in congress is seeing the role on the National Stage. We have a couple of artifacts here that illustrate that. Heres a cover of ebony magazine from 1969. Its right when Shirley Chisholm first to get office and shes on the cover. It says new faces of congress. She, like many others in congress, really become Important National figures, particularly in the African American press. Right around the time the Congressional Black Caucus is created, ebony magazine is able to put a lot of folks on the cover as that is created. It really becomes an important caucus, an important issues based group, but each of these individual people become important in different ways to different communities. Ivan burke is here seen on the cover of jet twice. Once in the 19 sixties when it says women who may become congresswoman. And she does not become congresswoman in 1967. But a little bit later on, she does, is elected to congress, and very much shows up on the covers of a lot of magazines. As a face not just of black women in congress but of women in congress and younger women in congress. Shes the first member of congress to have a baby while she is serving. She shows up on an ebony magazine cover holding her little baby. Something that probably the first time there had been such a cover of a lawmaker holding a brandnew baby. Shirley chisholm also becomes a National Figure in ways that are shown in these two buttons we have here in the collection. They dont say anything about Shirley Chisholm running for congress, do they . They are about her running for president. Shirley chisholm president to represent all americans. You can see the womens symbol all around her face. This place is her with a feminist agenda. That was something that very much was important to her. On the National Stage in the 1972 election, she was very much putting together a very Interesting Group of people. If you look at film clips of her at the democratic convention, its really interesting to see her really sees a poll and say what her delegates are going to do. They are skilled politicians who also become, as you say, show horse approaches to things. So when you see behind the scenes, and in front of the scenes, you see a lot of action going on in the seventies. I stand before you today as a candidate for the democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States of america. When the Congressional Black Caucus is founded in the very early seventies, one thing they do that really sort of is striking as something that brings them to more prominence than just yet another caucus in congress. Its that they really become, that really place themselves in a national context. One example of that is this fantastic record album. Its the first annual benefit concert for the Congressional Black Caucus and held at the capitol center. It featured such fantastic people as cool and the gang. Gladys knight in the pips. It was very successful. It was really part and parcel of the Congressional Black Caucus being a real power. There are thousands of objects in the house collection of art and artifacts. These are just a few of them. You can learn more on our website. But even more importantly than going to the website in finding out about stuff, the thing that i think is important is that these are all objects that really represent this incredibly long history of a really long and important institution. Each one of these, like an object of ron dellums our congressman, that is just takes on a background, to something far grander like a portrait or a picture of surely chisholm on the cover of a magazine. Each of these is putting a little bit of a human face on the history of the house of representatives. It makes the Institution Just that much more accessible to all of us, so that we can really get a sense of who were these people. Who were the people who represented us . Who counts in american democracy . What is our role in it as well . The history of African Americans in congress is an important one for us to preserve and tell. It really tells us a story of two different levels. One of them is the history of our institution. Some of the dynamic people whove been a part of it. Some of the unique personalities. Also how our institution evolved as African Americans became part of that. In that perspective too, the other story that is being told here is the one of the African American experience nationally post civil war from reconstruction to jim crow to the great migration to increased political participation during the mid 20th century Sunrise Movement and the revolution that that brought. Its really telling to different important stories that the house is both affected by and also effects. To see more photographs, artwork and images of African Americans in congress, visit history doghouse. Gov. The website is a collaborative project between the u. S. House of representatives, the Historians Office and the House Clerks Office of art and archives. Next, legal and tax historian discusses is both making the modern american fiscal state. Law, politics and the rise of progressive taxation. 1877 to 1929. He explains how and why the United States shifted from generating most of its revenue from aggressive consumption taxes to a more direct and progressive tax on income with the passage of the 16th amendment. The National Archives center for legislative archives posted this event in december 2014. Thank you for attending todays researcher talk. Im
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