york, andtsburgh, new the african american population in the city's increases and the african-americans in those cities are gradually recruited by the political parties. depriest is a perfect example of that process. he is born in the south. he and his family are part of a group that move to the midwest to kansas. he goes to grade school and high but he findssas, his way to chicago in the 1890's and moves up through the political system and becomes a chicago city councilman in the his career hasd some peaks and valleys. but by the 19 -- by the 1920's, he's part of the republican political machine in chicago as an alderman. 1928, when the sitting congressman from chicago, a very powerful republican on the appropriations committee passes away mid-congress in the fall elections, he runs for the seat and wins. in 1929, he comes to the house of representatives. >> one of my favorite things about his career is this little tiny button that we have in the collection that is from his career. it is really small. it has a picture of him. one of the things i love most is that they are very rare. no