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Encyclopedia entry: African Americans in government
- Article from:
- The Oxford Guide to the United States Government
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Copyright© The Oxford Guide to the United States Government 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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African Americans in government
African Americans in Congress
After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, the 14th Amendment (1868) granted African Americans citizenship, and the 15th Amendment (1870) gave black men (but not women) the right to vote. In February 1870, Hiram Revels (Republican-Mississippi) became the first black senator, taking the seat once occupied by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. In December 1870, Joseph Rainey (Republican-South Carolina) became the first black representative.
Several Southern states sent African Americans to Congress during Reconstruction. But later efforts by white Southerners to restrict black voting, often through violence ...