Importance Of Representation In Congress

5A) The founders and creators of the constitution anticipated for congress to be the dominant branch of government. They expected it to be an equal representation of the demographics of this country. Given that in a democracy the legislature should represent the people equally, this draws the question on how well are African Americans being represented in congress (Walton & Smith, pg. 196). Representation is usually measured on three criteria’s known as descriptive, symbolic and substantive. This means the legislature should look like its demographics, it should be that the constituents have trust in the legislature and the laws passed by the legislature equally corresponds with the people its representing Walton & Smith, pg. 196). The most important part of the three criteria’s is symbolic representation because on both sides of the color spectrum whites and blacks have a hard time having respect to their representation. Both whites and blacks don’t fully have trust in the people they elect to represent them. Historically congress didn’t always have an equal representation of the demographics. From over 11,000 people that have served in congress on 139 have been black. From 1787-1870 no blacks served in congress, then in

Chicago has been at the epicenter of black politics long before it hosted it secret meetings that plotted strategies to elect a black president or produced a powerful politician who would propel the political career of the nation’s first black president. South Side of Chicago is where all the magic was happening and the capital of the black political life because of its deep and lengthy history. In 1928, Oscar De Priest was elected as a republican from the South Side, becoming the first black member of congress since North Carolina’s own, George White departed in 1901. De Priest winning the election signaled the South Side’s growing political