Africanamerican to be elected in the 19th century please in 1901. George white of north carolina. Before is a long time another africanamerican comes into the house and that is oscar dupree from illinois. We had a couple of rare artifacts from him from the 1920s and 30s. Before i launch into them, matt, tell us about oscar dupree. Almost three decades after George Henry White leaves congress when there are no africanamerican to serve in the house or senate. That has everything to do with the jim crow laws that go on the books in the south. The way that that changes over time during those decades and that there is a critical thing going on in the south where african begin to leave the south and move northward as part of a multidecade movement that would later be called the great migration. On which to store and you talk to and 1890s and runs through world war ii. It takes up momentum around world war i as there is a need in the north to fill industrial jobs and jobs that have been occupied by men who are going off to war. You see tens of thousands of africanamericans moving northward for the first time out of the rural south to industrial jobs in chicago, st. Louis, cleveland, pittsburgh, new york. Over time the African American populations in the citys increase. The africanamericans in the cities are gradually recruited by the Political Party and Oscar Depriest is a perfect example of that process. He actually is born in the south. He and his family are part of a group called the exit dusters. He goes to grade school and high school in kansas. He finds his way to chicago and 1890s and moves up to the political system. He becames becomes a chicago city councilman. Some pizza and balance. Ofthe 1920s, he is a part the republican political machine in chicago. He is the ultimate. In 1928, when visiting congressmen the sitting congress and from chicago, he is on the Appropriations Committee in the fallmid election, the priest runs for the seat. He wins. In 1929, he comes to be house of representatives. One of my favorite things about Oscar Depriests career is this little what did we have the collection that this from his career. It is small. It says depriest for congress. One of the things i love is that they are very rare. There are probably not many around initially. Very few survive. Think about this tiny button, worn on someones lapel, looking like any other button, this actually represents a revolution. The attempt to elect an africanamerican to congress for the first time in decades. Just this presence of this inch and a quarter piece of metal would have been a real statement on the part of whoever was wearing it. I love that it has survived and that it has come back to the place where whoever owned it wanted it to end up which was the u. S. Congress. Here, he then found a lot he was interested in. A lot that came to him that he did not ask for. The issues he handled and the way he was received. The circuitup being representative for African Americans in general. It must have been an interesting ship for him because he had come up to be chicago political machine and while he had advocated for his constituency in chicago which was largely africanamerican, you did not get the sense that he embraced this role as a representative of africanamericans generally until he comes to congress. A couple of things happen right off the bat they forced him to that. Bat. They forced him to take a role for African American political rights. He is the first africanamerican to serve in a long time. When he comes to congress, theres a bit of a firestorm in the press. It was tradition for the first lady, and this case, herbert hoovers wife, to have 18 for all the congressional wives a tea for all the congressional wives. 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 africanamerican woman. There were even Southern States that had their legislatures passed resolutions asking hoover to make sure that this did not happen. Was divide the tea party into a couple different sessions and the one that jesse to was very invited carefully preselected and was a small group of congresswomen who he knew would not object. This get out there in the press thedepriest pilloried Southern State legislatures that had spoken up. This is the first roadblock that he runs into. Another what happens in the house. Right. People dont want their offices next to his. They dont want to be serving with an africanamerican. When we were doing some research on the history of who had what office, and the canon office out that theturned place that Oscar Depriest was assigned was a bathroom. They ripped out the plumbing and turned it into an office for him. What has to wonder, did they choose that space because it could happen at the last minute objection . Pped any desolate the things that bubble up from lots of primary we learnrch that the stories behind the stories. One other episode happens late in his career when a staffer, his chief of staff and a Family Member are asked to ande the house restaurant move to a segregated room where africanamericans could get lunch in an adjoining space. Depriest objected to this unsurprisingly and defended his secretary as chief of staff. Went after the chairman of what was then called the accounts committee in the house. Lindsay lauren had dictated that it needed to be segregated. For and on to the house the press plays a lot of attention to this. Haveine is, if we cannot freedom, if we cannot have the quality of the goodell of the capital, then wearing gods name are we going to get the . The house creates a special committee to investigate segregation in the restaurant. The issue dies in the committee. The restaurant remains segregated. It remains well into the 20 century. Up not just the experience of africanamerican members in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, but what the experience of the staff was. The restaurant is a good example. Century, the responsible thing of running the house restaurant was given as a concession. Somebody could have almost a franchise of running it. In the 1860s, that is awarded to a famous African American restaurant person. He is famous as a caterer. He runs the restaurant and his experience is, someone who is a if this man operating in that space, and the reconstruction period, there are some examples about and americans been some of the pioneers of being on staff and in the same way that the reconstruction time as they are very few in number but they managed to be in positions that have not been created for them the position that have some weight and purpose. Symbolic importance that these individuals were put into these positions. One of them was willing smith. He was appointed to the house lebron in 1880. An appointed position. It is one of the most prominent positions in the institution and at that point he is one of the highest ranking in theamericans government. He came to the house starting working in the library. He had been promoted by radical republicans. Who is appointed during reconstruction is the first africanamerican page to serve in the house on the floor. Of manchester virginia just south of the james. Is appointed by a member who is part of the reconstructed virginia government. A carpetbagger from the north. He serves in a district that represents richmond. In 1871. Ointed he served for about 1. 5 years. He is the great grandnephew of john mercer langston. He was serving as the dean or president of Howard University at the time. Later he will be in congress himself. There is this network of people who know other people and are able to move things around and make things happen. Then we get from George Downing and 1860s to be chief of staff for Oscar Depriest being refused service in the house. Career, hes champions these issues that need championing and are not necessarily related to his constituency. Then he becomes a National Figure. Another object in the collection that relates to that is a program from a speech he is. Iving in dayton, ohio he does not say what hes got to talk about. Hes just speaking and it there are all kinds of who caught around the whole thing. Hes been presented as a statesman reported to the africanamerican community. , it is end of his career part of this notion of surrogate representation. The fact that you are representing people beyond the borders of your district or state. You are a National Figure. We dont think of oscar to priest that much as a National Figure. We do. Many people do not. Late 1940s, based on to arrive and they do become National Figures. Depriest leads congress in 1935. He is defeated for reelection by another africanamerican from chicago. Arthur mitchell. He is the first africanamerican elected as a democrat to congress. What you begin to see in that decade of the 1930s into the 1940s and you see it very clearly in this chicago district is that there is a shift in africanamerican allegiance away from the American Republican Party to the Democratic Party during the new deal. Has to do with the fact that africanamericans are recruited by democratic city leaders. There is the promise of greater political participation. The promise that pulled africanamericans out of the south during the great migration to begin with. And also that he has a slightly greater voice in the new Deal Coalition that roosevelts together. You begin to be drawn toward the Democratic Party. Mitchell is the embodiment of that. He chooses not to be a surrogate representative. He downplays the fact that he downplays the fact that hes a africanamerican in congress. He does not want to push black issues as he told the press on numerous occasions. He served for a couple terms and is replaced by another member named William Dawson who is one of the longestserving africanamericans. Individual who started off as a republican and moved to the Democratic Party in chicago. He is important because by the late 1940s, he chairs a committed that will become oversight and government reform. It was Government Operations back in 1940. He chairs the committee with the exception of a single term for the rest of his career. For two decades. He is another member who comes into the institution and unlike the priest challenges things thoughtfully, he feels like he can make changes by fitting into these institution and try to affect change from his position of power. Being committee chair, and being part of that institutional approach to things, he has a portrait of himself as Many Committee chairman to created and it is one of the first portraits of African American and africanamerican in the u. S. Congress. It raises it to the very elevated place. William dawsons portrait is the first africanamerican Committee Chairman port for it portrait. Wonderful portrait and that it represents him as the embodiment of a committee chair. It is not one where there are lots of sort of other elements to give you clues of two years. Its about the stature of the man. He is standing alone. Sitting in a very conservative blue suit. He looks like a member of congress. That is something that is really important. Part of this is his approach and many peoples approach to working in congress as members is to be part of this important institution. He is with that and becomes an incredibly long serving committee chair. William dawson as chairman of Government Operations was a member who had a legislative style that was a workhorse style. He is behind the scenes and did not want to be in the media. Very quiet. Determined but very lowkey. He contrasts his style of markedly with the fellas represented here with these objects. This is a wonderful book we have. Adam Clayton Powell. It was published right after he is elected in 1944. Adam Clayton Powell was definitely a man ready with a program for progress. And ready to tell you all about it. Of a baptiststor church in harlem. He represented a harlem district. He served a very long time in congress. This is from the beginning of his congressional career. Tos made from the paper form wax, it is a recording he made. Of speakinges meditations on a number of different issues. He book ends his career which is very long. He is no William Dawson. He has a different approach to how to do things. All human beings, blackandwhite, rich and poor, equal in the sight of god. Keep your faith and the life of your fellow man even though he abuses you. When he abuses you, he makes himself a lesser man. A great man once said, love your enemies. Less than the cursor bless them to curse you. Pray. Pray. Pray for them. Faith. Ur 1970s, he was the person who kind of embodied civil rights in the house. Civil rights in congress. Hes elected in 1944. He and dawson are the only two members of congress for a number of congresses in the early 1950s. Two very contrasting styles whereas dawson is behind the scenes and powell is out front talking to the media, pushing against segregation practices in the house restaurant. He is constantly pushing the envelope. There is a great story that we have covered in our book of black americans in congress where sam rayburn, the revered speaker of the house from texas has a conversation with him when he first comes in and the gist of it is freshman listen quietly and learn. Dont go causing a ruckus. You can imagine this new yorker from harlem listening to the texan explained to him the ways of the house and he looked at him and said, mr. Speaker, i have a bomb in both hands and am ready to hurl them. He had a great relationship with rayburn. He is constantly pressing the envelope in the house. He gets onto the education labor committee, a very influential committee. Particularly by the 1960s when we go for a reform period during the kennedy and johnson administrations at the start of the Great Society with lyndon johnson. He is chairman of the committee and pushes through 50 different measures related to education reforms. Legislatureantive in addition to being a show horse style. Those oferesting that the two aspects. There is a part where he is known as mr. Civil rights and he championilling to civil rights on all levels, both legislatively and into the life of the house. I remember you told me once about even something as minor as sitting in the House Chamber and where you sit in the House Chamber, that came up for him. Another story that one of his biographers tells. Seeking in the House Chamber is open as long as you respect the party block tradition. When he came in, there was a prominent southern number who told the press, this man was a chairman of a committee and said, i refuse to sit next to a black man on the house for. What he did was floor. Told himid was powell around and sat next to him anytime he sat down. He forced the Senior Member to move around the chamber which a lot of people took note of. Afterwards, powell told the reporter that im a baptist minister by training and i dont know whether to baptize batman or drown him. That man or drown him. To the earlyr 1970s. He is one of the longest serving and house history. When he came in to congress in the mid1940s, there was no large Civil Rights Movement that was happening outside of congress. That does not come along until the 1950s with Martin Luther king and the southern christian leadership conference. Ofell is very much the face civil rights in the United States for more than a decade. Once the movement begins ,appening outside of congress as one of his biographers has told us, he begins to compete with it a little bit. He is no longer the face of civil rights. Attendance, his behavior becomes little bit more erratic. The house in the late 1960s refuses to see tim see tim. The Supreme Court seat him. The Supreme Court rules he is entitled to sit. 70s he960s he has has run the course of his career and police the house. We see that leaves the house. We see that in the artifacts of the collection. Speaking over the heads of congress and directly to the people by producing this. Hes a great orator. He was a terrific preacher. If you ever see a film clip of temperature pricking, it is quite something. He releases this on to bully records as another example of the way he is inserting himself into the conversation. Artifacts two artifacts somewhere in style and usage. The small differences show up a change in africanamerican serving in congress over just a. The late 50s objects as a fan. It is the nations negro congresswoman congressman. It was passed out for free. It contains a big picture of the capital and for members of congress who served at that time. To thef you jump forward mid70s, instead of four members of congress and a big picture of the capital, it has gotten so crowded that they have eliminated that language of change. Instead of the nations negro congressmen, this black lawmakers. There are over a dozen members. It shows a before and after. Earlys the 60s and 70s. The changes that happen for africanamericans in congress. A big change is the passage of the Voting Rights act of 1965. Extending protections to africanamerican voters in the south, allowing them to register.