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You are here: Home / History / How many African Americans were elected to political office during Reconstruction?

How many African Americans were elected to political office during Reconstruction?

June 30, 2020 by Karen Hill

Because Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia had the largest African American populations, those states had some of the first black elected politicians beginning in 1867.

John Willis Menard of Louisiana and Jefferson F. Long of Georgia were among the first African Americans elected to Congress (in 1868 and 1870, respectively).

In Louisiana, the black lieutenant governor P. B. S. Pinchback served as acting governor for some time after the white governor was removed from office in 1872. He was later elected to the U.S. Senate. Two black men, Hiram R. Revels and Blanche K. Bruce, became U.S. senators, and some fourteen African Americans served in the House of Representatives.

Thirteen of the fourteen blacks who served in Congress during Reconstruction were ex-slaves, but all were well educated, either self-taught or formally trained. There were seven lawyers, three ministers, one banker, one publisher, two school teachers, and three college presidents among them.

In 1872, Charlotte Ray received her law degree from Howard University Law School, making her the first black woman lawyer.

Related Facts

  • How did the participation of African Americans in politics after Reconstruction change the political system?
  • What other political gains did African Americans attain in the 1960s and 1970s?
  • Where did African Americans go after Reconstruction?
  • What political gains did African Americans attain in the 1980s and 1990s?
  • How did African Americans take advantage of their new freedom after Reconstruction?
  • How did blacks participate in politics during Reconstruction?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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