How many members of Congress enslaved people?
Thanks to a recently released two-year study by Post reporter Julie Zauzmer Weil and others at The Washington Post, we know the answer to the question is 1,700 Congresspeople, and that they held office and enacted legislation in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Check out the database of members of Congress who enslaved people. (Note, the database is behind a paywall, but you can register for free for two weeks.) Let us know if you use this resource in your classrooms.
The research continues and your students can help. The Post offers a list of names of Congresspeople that still need to be researched. They are in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and more states. See the names and a research guide, which are not behind a paywall.
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