25 February 1870
Political participationBook sources
Hiram Revels takes his seat in the United States Senate
Mississippi; Washington, D.C.
Hiram Revels became the first Black member of the United States Congress when he took his Senate seat. Opponents challenged his eligibility by invoking the citizenship exclusion associated with Dred Scott; the Senate voted to seat him.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
Mississippi’s legislature selected Revels under the election system then in force. His admission did not mean that Black political equality was secure or that he was elected by a statewide popular vote.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 9, pp. 201–202; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- United States Senate: First African American Senator ↗