Served in congress. Prior to the mid20th century, many served as territorial delegates and commissioners as opposed to voting representatives. Archives hosted this event and provided the video. Historian at the center for legislative archives. Thank you for attending todays talk on this last day of july. This is the last talk in the series until we resume in september. For those of you in attendance, our guest hardly needs an introduction. Matthew wasniewski is the historian of the u. S. House of representatives and a member of the advisory meeting on the records of congress. Friend andgtime supporter, as well of us as well as a source of guidance to the center through his service on the advisory committee. Matt is here today to discuss hispanic americans in congress, which was published last year. This is the third in a series that has come out of the house office under his leadership. The previously published volumes being women in congress 19172006, black americans in congress, 18702007. Count for these 2573. Volumes is and still counting. I believe there is a fourth volume in the works. This series represents a very substantial effort for which we are all grateful and eager to hear about this latest publication and thank you so much for joining us, matt. Matthew pleasure to be here. Your reference to page count was excellent because i was recently talking to and this is the book, by the way i was recently talking to a major trade press editor and she was telling me about a few of her authors, one of whom is very well known historian and she writes 800 page history books. She relays the story the author told her of a friend who bought the authors book and says this is just a fantastic book, i cannot put it down. I am taking it to get dressed and taking to bed. Last night, i was reading it in bed and i fell asleep. The book dropped on the bridge of my nose, and now i have a bruise. This is a teachable moment for the author. No more broken noses. That is the new book rule. Violates definitely that rule. It is a nose breaker. It fits the Arnold Schwarzenegger role, you get your workout when you lift it up. It is meant as a reference book. Thingsthe interesting that happens when you write about individual members at some length, the essays are about 15003000 words, you get what looks like seemingly disconnected dots. To make a bigger picture. Certainly, a larger picture emerged as we were working on this publication. To give you some quick background on the book, it is the third in a series. In some ways, it is a book that is very much like its two predecessors. Women in congress, we publish the latest addition of that in 2007. The book on african americans, we published in 2009. The primel mover behind the original edition was lindy boggs of louisiana, which who was a great proponent of house history. Those books were like pamphlets at the time because so few women and africanamericans had actually served in congress. A second edition was published in the early 1990s. A volume on hispanic americans we did not have a history operation so the library of congress produced the first edition, which appeared in 1995. We are working on Asian Pacific islander americans, which is a few years down the road. It mirrors the structure of the books on women and black americans in congress. Their individual essays about every member introduced in Chronological Order with contextual essays that set them in generational groups. These are fortified by appendices and historical images and artifacts, some of which people around the table have helped us find. It is aimed at Upper High SchoolLower College audience. Some of the storylines to mirror one another. Do mirror one another cared women, africanamericans, hispanic americans, each of those storylines, there is attorney point turning point where they become surrogate members. There is also a similar part to the story in terms of how the groups are integrated into congress over time. There is a pioneering generation that has to work their way into the institution. There is a long apprenticeship phase where they gain seniority and get on good committees and work their way up into leadership. And then there is a mature integration phase, and that usually happens when there is a of enough members to create an issues caucus. This is distinct from women and africanamericans. It is a story that stretches all the way back to 1822 to Joseph Marion hernandez. Women, half afore century before we see africanamericans in congress. The story is driven by American Foreign policy, expansion continental he and globally ly and globally. The purchase of florida from spain, the annexation of texas. Democracy,about representation at the borders of american democracy. , statutory representatives, the constitution did not really contemplate and how they were incorporated into congress. How congress not only created the office but often gave them limited and circumscribed powers. And then the fact that these individuals, for the most part, were representing majority hispanic constituencies. The question of how these people would be incorporated or whether they would actually be incorporated into the body politic. An interesting aspect of the story, up until war will to mainlyd to delegates from new mexico and resident commissioners from puerto rico. From a research perspective, this book is a little bit different, too, because unlike the fields of womens history and africanAmerican History, hispanic, latino studies does not have as many monographs or political biographies of the individuals covered. In this aspect, the field is somewhat undeveloped and splintered. Much of our research relied on primary sources, paper collection in santa fe and albuquerque, local and regional spanish and english language newspapers. We relied heavily on the Hispanic Division, which was fantastic at the library of congress. They guided us to resources in new mexico and puerto rico and helped us with the storylines in the book. We used the periodicals room to look at a number of newspapers, particularly puerto rican newspapers. Helpful san juan star. At national archives, to capture the story of puerto rican resident commissioners and territorial delegates, we went into a number of different record groups. The department of interior territorial papers, record group 48, the records of the office of the territories, record 126, and the center for legislative archives supplied us with a lot of images, original documents and certificates of election. The book is structured like the volumes on women in congress and africanamericans around several long generations. The first runs from 18221898. The era of continental expansion in the u. S. The second breaks down from the spanishamerican war to world war ii, era of u. S. Colonial global expansion. And in the third from world war ii until through the Civil Rights Movement up until 1976. The hispanic caucus was created in december of 1976. Post1977 is the modern era. I thought it might be useful to go through a couple of the individuals along the way and trace the storyline. I am happy to take questions at the end. I am hoping to leave 15 or 20 minutes without. The first individual, Joseph Hernandez served a very brief term. He is an incredibly interesting person, more for his career outside of congress because it was so short. He was wasnt he was one of these individuals who helped bridge the states cultural and governmental transition from spanish colony to u. S. Territory. He had fought for spain prior to the turnover to u. S. Control. He later fought for the united states, particularly against seminole indians in several of the conflicts with local indian tribes. He earned and lost a Great Fortune on several plantations. He owned hundreds of africanamerican slaves. This guy is a slaveowning indian fighting politician who would be cut from the jacksonian cloth. He embodied attitudes toward statehood and representation that many of the delegates in the 19th century later would. The term of service was very brief. It set a precedent for later territorial delegates. He was the very first delegate from florida. Focus, it was largely internal improvement. This is the storyline that follows throughout the 19th century. He focused on a postal road from Saint Augustine to pensacola. Like a lot of the territorial delegates, he had no committee assignments. His powers were very limited. He could introduce legislation, cajole members, lobby, but his powers on the floor were circumscribed. The story takes a turn with war with mexico in 1846. This is the first major turning point in the story and it raised questions for congress about how territories with culturally unique populations acquired from the massive mexican secessions these wake of war, how would be represented in the federal government and eventually incorporated. This individual is the second hispanic american to serve in congress. Allegos. Se geye in 1853, the second delegate from the new mexico territory. There was an anglo delegate that preceded him. He comes from an interesting background. He has been an a legislator in the Mexican Assembly representing nuevo mexico. He had become very adept. He had been a former priest and after the transition to american rule, had been defrocked. An american bishop came in and chased him out. He switched to a career in politics. 1853,es to washington in and he does not speak english. He knows very little about the american political system. He knows very little about the party. But he is very adept at finding out where the leaders of power are. His first problem is that he literally and figuratively is a voiceless legislator. He is relying on members of the house to translate for him and this tended to be members who were from missouri, at the other end of the santa fe trail. His friend was John Smith Phelps of missouri who acted as his informal interpreter. Change. He had to he went to the head of the Judiciary Committee and the committee on second jones act as sort of a steppingstone. Passed away shortly after the passage of the act. The u. S. Senate comes very late to the story. Or than a century late more than a century late. This is the first hispanic american senator. He it is a symbolic appointment. Health and passes away shortly after that. Mexico in thew territorial government and later after new mexico becomes a state hispanicthat he pushes civil rights at the state level. It is a fitting appointment and highly symbolic because he was not in the senate very long. Dennis chavez is the first hispanic american to serve in bothhe is known best for his log senate career. Hes one of the highestranking hispanic americans in congress in the 20th century because he chairs three congressional committees. One in the house, he goes to the senate and chairs the Public Works Committee which is a major part of his career. But his career which rages that new deal and into world war ii makes him a transitional figure in the story. The first hispanic american member of congress we can point to and can say here somebody acting as a surrogate representative. Hes advocating for people far beyond the boundaries of his district or his state and speaking for hispanic americans nationally. Work onthis with his the Employment Practices commission and advocating for greater puerto rican autonomy in the 1940s and into the 1950s. This storyline follows after world war ii. The storyline we are familiar with with women and toicanamericans is tied in the larger push for civil rights in the postworld war ii era. There are two principal strands post1945. The first involves a mexican americans drive toward rights on the mainland u. S. Enabled by chavez and other hispanic congressmen. The second was puerto ricos evolution from a territory to commonwealth which was made possible by a line of ricans. Inded puerto these strands were widely divergent at the beginning but by the end, they come together. Resources are pooled, agendas that had been local are nationalized, there is a large wrasse root movement, large grass roots movement, groups raza, which is a more radical Movement Come together. This time in congress when his panic americans serve a, institutional apprenticeship, the length of Service Increases for them. They receive more prominent committee assignments. Just a handful of the people here who stick out in this time serving resident commissioner from puerto rico and the principal architect of the ricos move to commonwealth status in the early 1950s. He was widely respected i house colleagues. He had a very close working relationship with the longtime was the sonnor who of munoz rivera and that partnership produced the commonwealth change in the 50s, which changed. Can autonomy. And other individual here Henry Gonzales, he gets his start in local politics, housing issues in the san antonio area and is involved with the panamerican association in texas. This launches his career in progressive politics. In 1956, he becomes the first mexicanamerican elected to the texas senate. Twice, he filibustered measures that would have ray segregated texas public schools. At earned him a lot of attention. A great quote in Time Magazine it may be some that can chloroformed their conscious but if we fear long enough we hate and if we hate long enough, we fight. He runs for governor in the late 1950s and is trounced but get name recognition and becomes a viable candidate for a special election in 1961 in a San Antonio District and comes into the house and serves in the house for nearly four decades. Best known for his service in the house banking committee, he chaired it in the 1980s and early 1990s and past a lot of important housing and banking reform. A critic of the big banks and also a proponent for many years for greaterp transparency. And other individual is from california and, a lot like gonzales in terms of coming up through grassroots politics, he was one of the cofounders of the Community Service organizations, a statewide organization that pushed hispanic interests. He is elected to the l. A. City council in 1949 and is the first mexicanamerican to serve on the l. A. City council since the 1880s. Rough,come was a little but he fit in and was very important in terms of a lot of programs andy opened city programs and housing programs. He served 32 years inhouse and rises to a high position in congress and becomes one of the appropriation cardinals, chairing the Treasury Postal Service and enrolled government subcommittee. Byant to end here briefly period inout the last the book which is post1977. This is the main page of the website where the entire book is available online. Titledapter, we strength in numbers and challenges in diversity. It starts with the creation of the hispanic caucus in 1976. Five members established the caucus as a legislative Service Organization that would follow, track, and influence policy affecting americas hispanic community. Unlike other congressional caucuses, over time, the diversity of the caucus somewhat limited its legislative effectiveness. It was open to members from both parties. Its roster included members from across the country. There were competing interests at work that made the caucus act oftentimes like an information clearinghouse than a legislative vehicle for moving legislation through congress. Regional differences often splintered the caucus. Hispanic american members were divided from the 1980s on Immigration Reform and trade policy in the 1990s such as nafta. Perhaps the most striking feature of this era is a numbers game going on. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights act in the 1960s and courtordered redistricting the which began in the 1960s opened of avenues for millions hispanic americans. The Voting Rights act profoundly changed the face of congress in terms of africanamericans, but also in terms of hispanics. In the case of the latter, two thirds of all hispanics who have ever served in congress were elected after 1976. So that is tremendous growth. We are now up to 102 hispanic members who have served in congress. In 19 six to five, when the Voting Rights act was passed, there were just five hispanic members, for representatives and a senator. Arehe 113th congress, there 30 in the house and three in the senate. The numbers have gone up and these members have chaired powerful committees and subcommittees, they have authored important legislation, they have been party leaders, directed National Party organizations, mel martinez, former senator, and they have held cabinet positions hildas police and melba martinez. The hispanic population in the u. S. Has grown from 6 in 1982 16 according to the 2010 census. Their advocates when powerful seats at the federal level, hispanic americans have become one of the most influential voting blocs in the country. But gaining that representation has never been easy and likely wont ever be easy or simple or straightforward. The experiences of the hispanic members in that post1977 time illustrate theres no one person or conch or caucus that can drive the agenda or determine the needs and desires and aspirations of all hispanic american voters. This was very clear after the emergence of a separate Congressional Hispanic Congress which was composed of republicans in the early 2000s. The caucus began to break over cuba policy and so now there is a hispanic caucus and conference and they are divided in a partisan fashion. This is perhaps the clearest sign political debate is alive and well, but regardless, based on this long history, there obviously is much inspiration that hispanic members and those who study them can draw from the rich history and hardwon victories over the years. We have 15 minutes left for questions and i would be happy to answer any. Canaise your hand so we pass the microphone and pick it up on the video. Out of curiosity, how did you guys define hispanic for the purposes of inclusion in this s