The United States Congress

A HISTORY OF The chart width on each side corresponds to the number of -seats held by two groups of parties:- Chamber Midpoint (Control) THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS Seats held by left-leaning parties Seats held by right-leaning parties (e.g. Republican, Constitution) (e.g. Democratic, Green) Conservative Far Left (Below -500) ILeft (-300 to -500)- ICenter Left (0 to -300)- Far Right (500+) Right (300 to 500) -Center Right (0 to 300) Democrats Liberal-- Republicans Centerline (Party Divider) PARTISAN AND IDEOLOGICAL MAKEUP Color shows the ideological makeup of the two sides based on member DW-NOMINATE SCORES (see below for more) SENATE HOUSE PRESIDENCIES Members of Left-Leaning Parties Members of Right-Leaning Parties Members of Left-Leaning Parties Members of Right-Leaning Parties 30 280 240 200 160 120 30 120 160 2012 2012 "I The Tea Party wave of 2010 helped House Republicans regain all the ground they had lost in 2006 and Barack -OBAMA LEGEND CONG RESS - CONGRESS ---- Right Center Far Far Left 2010 2010 Right Left Right Center Right In the later years of the Bush Administration, Democrats regained 2008 Branches join in when new members enter Congress and cause an ideological bloc to grow. Center Financial Crisis and Recession 2008 Left Left Far Right A-- CONESS- (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires fom the same ideological bloc, no change is shown.) CO NG RESS -- 2008 and then some. The Democratic Party's gains in 2006 and 2008 came largely from centrist candidates in 2006 2006 George W. BUSH- control of the Senate Branches split off when members leave in 2006, and won a larger 2004 2004 Congress, causing their ideological bloc to shrink. (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires from the same ideological bloc,no change is shown) Iraq War majority in 2008 during the onset of the financial crisis. Center. While the size of the 2002 2002 Rght swing districts-the same ones who would be voted out in 2010. The yellow line marks the midpoint, which Republican majority didn't change very much during this period, its internal makeup did. The centrist bloc nearly vanished, and in every election from 1984 to 2004, the far right bloc grew. Afghanistan War indicates which side has control of the chamber: 2000 2000 If a bloc loses members in one election and gains them in the next, the exiting stream may rejoin. 1998 1998 Bill Democratic losses in 1994 This does notnecessarily mean the same people retumed 1996 1910 1910 nomination. 1908 1908 + ON GRESS-- 1 906 1906 Theodore 1904 ROOSEVELT- 1904 SILVER REPUBLICAN 1 902 1902 McKinley assassinated 1900 1900 Spanish-American War William MCKINLEY- The 1896 presidential contest, which pitted Democrat William Jennings Bryan against Republican William McKinley, was probably 1 898 1898 The Republicans 1896 politics after the war, with- Grover Cleveland the dominated national 1896 Grover POPULIST The Populist Party (o Peoples Party) was an of a soathern Paric of 1893 «CLEVELAND 1894 1894 the most heated election shomas Reed (ME) POPULIST only Democrat elected president over a period of more than half a century. in American history. 1892 1892 Benjamin HARRISON- agnan movement associated with William jennings Bryan The "Panic of 1 890 1893" economic The late 1800s saw an obsessive 1890 focus on the issue of bimetalism that depression led to Republicans winning the largest single landslide in Congressional history. 1888 1888 Grover In 1882, Democrats won it took me a while to understand. Gearge Graham Vest sON GRESS served as a Senator in CONGRESS «CLEVELAND seats thanks to disapproval of a Republican Congress that seemed too friendly to industry. 1 886 Republicans gained Senate seats in 1 888 from a number of recently- 1886 I the Confederacy. After ž the war, he became a US Senator He is mainly remembered for a mina court case in which his e dient was sung a man wo shot the dient's dog Vest's John Clayton was elected after losing a first count due to mysterious ballot theft. Before taking office he was shot by an unidentified assassin. His ideological category is unknown. Farmers and poor people who owed money favored a dual gold-silver standard, because it would lead to 1884 1884 The return of Southern Chester A. ARTHUR ► partisans who had left to join the Confederacy eventually gave the Democrats the political power to end Reconstruction and put in place segregationist Jim Crow laws. 1 882 1882 admitted states. Garfield assassinated James A. GARFIELD dosing argument-which won the casewas a soaring emotional speech about how great dogs are which made no mention of the actual case. inflation, which would make debts 180 1880 The Democrats won a lot of seats in 1880 but no one seems really sure why. Rutherford B. easier to pay off. Wealthy bankers- who owned that debt-wanted the opposite. This became the focus of a Main St. vs. Wall. St cultural struggle culminating in William Jennings Bryan's famous "Cross of Gold" speech. HAYES- 1878 1878 1876 1876 1874 1874 Ulysses S. GRANT- Disapproval of Grant's handling of the Panic of 1873 (an economic Paric of 1873 1872 1872 depression) led to Democrats winning control of the House for the first time since the war. (Despite his fiery oratory, Bryan lost the presidential election to McKinley.) 1870 1870 UNCONDITIONAL After four manths : in office, James Heds wase assassinated : by a drunk 1868 1868 UNIONIST Ihe Unconditional Unionist faction wanted to set aside I all other differences in favor of preserving the Union. Andrew CIVIL WAR CIVIL WAR CON GRE JOHNSON- 1 866 1866 Klansman When the South seceded following Lincoln's election, most Southern Senate Lincoln assassinated After most Southern represèntatives left to join the Confederate Congress, the Democrats who remained were defined by opposition to the war. 1864 Abraham 1864 Senator Edward seats were declared vacant. LINCOLN- "Baker a Pland of INIONIST Abraham Lincoin's, is to date the only H sittrg member of 1 862 1862 1860 Ci War 1860 REPUBLICANS The Republican Party formed around opposition to slavery. 1856 James «BUCHANAN The Unionistwere a party set Congress to die in battle. up by Republicars to attact Southem and Demo supporters of the Nort 1858 1858 AMERICAN The American Party was the political arm of the *kanophobieand ant Catholic Know-Nothings Politics in the first half of the 1800s 1856 Franklin was completely dominated by the issue of slavery, which was supported by poor white Southern farmers- Democrats-and opposed by the As the party of the North, it