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THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ON CONGRESS

A Content Analysis of the Civil Rights Debates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2008

Charles Tien  and
Dena Levy
Charles Tien*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, City University of New York, Hunter College and the Graduate Center
Dena Levy
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, The College at Brockport, State University of New York
*
Professor Charles Tien, Department of Political Science, Hunter College, CUNY, 1724 West Building, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065. E-mail: ctien@hunter.cuny.edu
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Abstract

In this paper we approach, from a different angle than previous research, the question of whether gains in descriptive representation for African Americans result in losses in substantive representation. By looking at how the presence of African Americans has changed Congress over time, we assess the long-term impact of electing more African Americans to Congress on substantive representation. Specifically, we content analyze House floor debates on civil rights legislation, from 1957 to 1991, and find that Black members have influenced how White members talk about civil rights.

Keywords

Minority RepresentationCongressCivil Rights
Type
STATE OF THE ART
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , Spring 2008 , pp. 115 - 135
Copyright
Copyright © W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research 2008

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