Origins and Development of Congress 17.251/252 Fall 2004

Origins and Development of Congress

17.251/252

Fall 2004

Congressional Historical Eras and Electoral Discontinuities

Critical periods

1800 1850 1900 1950 2004

1812-20 1860-65 1896-1912 1964-1968

Congressional systemsExperimental Democritizing Civil War Textbook Post-Reform

1789-1812(Experimental system)

Electoral dynamics Organizational dynamics

During critical period

During cong’l

system

Rules Comms. Party leadership

-Elite electorate (Table 3.2)

-Feds vs. Reps.

-Floor supreme

-”previous q” developed in the House

-Ad hoc select comms. dominate

-Loose formal organization

1812-20(Transition from Experimental to

Antebellum systems)

• -Electorate expands

• -Federalists discredited

• -Slavery now an issue

• -Napoleanic Wars end

1820-60(Antebellum system)

Organizational dynamics

Electoral dynamics Rules Comms. Party leadership

-Mass electorate

-Whigs vs. Dems.

Committees take agenda control

-Standings dominate selects

-comm chairs compete w/ Speaker

-Regional divisions complicate Speakership selection (next slide)

-Senate leadership remains weak

Balloting for Speaker

1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900

Year

0

5

10

15

20

Num

ber

of c

andi

date

s

Candidates receiving votesCadidates receiving 10 or more votes

Balloting for Clerk

Year

1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900

Num

ber

of b

allo

ts

0

5

10

15

20

42.7OppositionAmer.Nathaniel Banks, Mass.133341855

67.1DemocratDem.Linn Boyd, Ky.1331853


48.5DemocratDem.Howell Cobb, Ga.63311849

50.4WhigWhig.Robert C. Winthrop, Mass.3301847

62.3DemocratDem.John W. Davis, Ind.1291845

65.9DemocratDem.John W. Jones, Va.1281843

58.7WhigWhigJohn White, Ky.1271841

51.7DemocratWhigRobert M.T. Hunter, Va.11261839

52.9DemocratDem.James K. Polk. Tenn.1251837

59.1JacksonJacksonJames K. Polk. Tenn.1241835

““JacksonJohn Bell, Tenn.10231834

59.6JacksonJacksonAndrew Stevenson, Va.1231833




51.2AdamsAdamsJohn W. Taylor, N.Y.2191825

Pct.NamePartyName, StateBallotsCong.Year

Largest partyWinning Speaker

42.7OppositionAmer.Nathaniel Banks, Mass.133341855



48.5DemocratDem.Howell Cobb, Ga.63311849

50.4WhigWhig.Robert C. Winthrop, Mass.3301847

62.3DemocratDem.John W. Davis, Ind.1291845

65.9DemocratDem.John W. Jones, Va.1281843

58.7WhigWhigJohn White, Ky.1271841

51.7DemocratWhigRobert M.T. Hunter, Va.11261839

52.9DemocratDem.James K. Polk. Tenn.1251837

59.1JacksonJacksonJames K. Polk. Tenn.1241835

““JacksonJohn Bell, Tenn.10231834





51.2AdamsAdamsJohn W. Taylor, N.Y.2191825

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Largest partyWinning Speaker

The Effect of the Balance RuleS

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1860-1865(Transition from Antebellum to Civil

War System• South excluded from national elections

• Party support highly regionalized

1865-1896(Civil War System)



-Dems. v. Reps.

-Dem. Strength in the South

-Rep. strength in the North

-Knife-edged partisan margins

-”Reed Rules” in the House

-Parties take control of committee rosters

-Appr. devolution

-Party polarization

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52nd Cong.(1891-1893)

80th Cong.(1943-45)

1896-1912(Transition from Civil War to

Textbook systems)• Economic dislocations create

Progressive/Populist movements

A Word about Senate Elections

• State legislative elections often brought about chaotic balloting

• Stories of corruption in Senate elections led to Progressive calls for reform

• 17th amendment: popular election of senators (1914)

• Still parties become more prominent

% joint ballot elections for Senate

020

4060

80P

ct.

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910Year

Effective number of Senate candidates in states

11

02

01

10

20

11

02

0

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910

AL CA FL IA

KS KY MA ME

MN NC NY

Candidates Parties

Effe

ctiv

e nu

mbe

r of

Sen

ate

cand

idat

e/P

artie

s

Year of election

Graphs by State

1912-1968(Textbook system)



-Regional support for parties

-Dems pick up progressives and cities

Battles over filibuster prominent in the Senate

-Comms. dominate legislating & careers

-consol. in 1946

-Party cohesion diminishes

-party leaders brokers

Rise of careerism

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100(1816) (1836) (1856) (1876) (1896) (1916) (1936) (1956) (1976) (1996)

Congress

0

10

20

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80

Pct

. of

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se r

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lect

ion

Actual replacementMoving average

1968-1974(Transition from Textbook to Post-

Reform system• Anti-war sentiment divorces supporters of

strong defense from Dems.

• Civil Rights movement divorces southern Whites from Dems, but reinforces Black affiliation with Dems.

1974-now(Post-Reform System



-Reps conservative, Dems. Liberal

-Regionalism per se deemphasized

Floor proceedings open up

-Comms important, but….

-Parties resurgent

-Leaders more assertive

(Republicans esp.)

Loss of regionalism in parties

80th Congress 106th Congress

Ideological separation of parties

Dimension 1

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Documents

Origins and Development of Congress 17.251/252 Fall 2004