Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 6-25-2026

Abstract

Following the 1920 decennial census the United States Congress, for the first and only time in its history, failed to pass a reapportionment bill to redistribute representation in the House of Representative in a timely manner. Congress would debate and delay reapportionment for nearly a decade before finally passing the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, which provided for the next reapportionment after the 1930 census as well as for all future censuses. There were many factors that helped perpetuate the debate over reapportionment in the 1920s, some of which were unique to the decade and some of which weren’t. The urban vs. rural debate, which has been discussed by scholars (especially Charles W. Eagles), as well as the rampant racism and xenophobia that underpinned said debate were at the forefront of factors that perpetuated the reapportionment debate for nearly a decade. This paper explores this debate over reapportionment and the ramifications of its resolution. Among other things, the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 capped the House of Representatives at 435 members for all future reapportionments. With each passing census which shows our population growing, our representation in government is being perpetually diluted by an unchanging House. The resolution of the reapportionment debate of the 1920s ended the precedent of expanding the size of the House of Representatives as the population of the United States grows. This paper provides a further look into how and why we arrived at a House of Representatives that is permanently capped at 435 members.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.

Program Title

Masters of History

Faculty Sponsor

Professor Kathleen Mapes

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