Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first Black person to serve in the United States Senate.
Born free on September 27, 1827, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he was born at a time when most Black people were slaves.
Despite the restrictions placed on Black people, Revels was able to receive an education, attending seminaries in Indiana and Ohio.
Long before he made political history he was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, and a teacher, who pushed for racial equality, preaching and teaching in Indiana, Missouri and Maryland.
During the Civil War he supported the Union cause by helping to recruit and organize two regiments of Black soldiers for the United States Colored Troops.
He also served as a chaplain for Black soldiers stationed in Mississippi.
After the war, Revels settled down in Mississippi and became a political figure during Reconstruction, the time following the Civil War when efforts were made to integrate the newly freed Black people into American society.
Revels was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1869.
A year later, the state legislature selected him to fill an empty seat in the U.S. Senate that had been empty since Mississippi seceded from the Union in 1861.
This was when Revels made history because he became the first Black senator in U.S. history.
He was sworn into office on February 25, 1870, overcoming some white senators who argued that, because the freed Black people were not recognized as U.S. citizens he couldn’t serve.
However, his supporters pointed out that he had always been free and had met the constitutional requirement of a minimum of nine years as a U.S. citizen.
He served in the Senate until March 3, 1871, and was known for his moderate approach to racial issues.
He advocated for reconciliation between the North and South and fought against laws that restricted the rights of Black people.
He also worked to secure civil rights for Black people and fought for the voting rights to be returned to former Confederate troops who pledged allegiance to the United States of America.
After leaving the Senate, he continued his work in education and religion.
He became the first president of Alcorn State University and remained active in the Methodist church.
Later, he served as a school principal and continued his fight for the rights of Black people.
Revels died on January 16, 1901, in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
As the first Black person in the history of the United States to serve in the Senate, he paved the way for future Black leaders in government.
