Courage in the People's House

June 12, 2023
Colorado congressman Neguse profiles nine of his predecessors in the House of Representatives in his brisk and spirited debut. Six of the nine are politicians of color, including Joseph Rainey (1832–1887) of South Carolina, who was instrumental in enacting the 1875 Civil Rights Bill, though some of his fellow Republicans criticized him for ensuring its passage by linking it to amnesty for former Confederates. Rainey lost the vote of another subject of Neguse’s research, Florida’s Josiah Walls (1842–1905), who abstained because language had been eliminated from the bill that would have desegregated schools. Neguse also spotlights Pennsylvania’s William B. Wilson (1862–1934), a former miner who battled to protect coal miners in the early 20th century, and Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith (1897–1995), who advocated for equal treatment of women in the military. Elsewhere, the author delves into Shirley Chisholm’s controversial 1972 decision to visit her congressional colleague, staunch segregationist George Wallace, in the hospital after he survived an assassination attempt. Neguse optimistically concludes that the potential for political courage in the House remains robust in 2023. His judicious selection of subjects will give some readers hope.