Latino political representation in the U.S. Congress in the 19th and 20th centuries

The article is devoted to the evolution of Latino political representation in the U.S. Congress in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has been established that in the 19th century Latino representation was inextricably linked to the expansion of territories at the expense of former Spanish and Mexican possessions. It allowed Latinos to participate in the U.S. political life, but engendered a serious problem of underrepresentation of this population group that in the first quarter of the 21st century has become the largest after White Americans, but this problem persists that does not allow to fully implement representative democracy. The article reveals the features of Latino political representation in Congress in the 19th and 20th centuries, identifies the issues they faced, their main activities and the evolution of their party affiliation, which helps to deepen the understanding of the modern partisan shift among them.