<P> As a result of these measures , blacks acquired the right to vote across the Southern states . In several states ( notably Mississippi and South Carolina ) , blacks were the majority of the population . By forming coalitions with pro-Union whites , Republicans took control of the state legislatures . At the time , state legislatures elected the members of the US Senate . During Reconstruction , only the state legislature of Mississippi elected any black senators . On February 25 , 1870 , Hiram Rhodes Revels was seated as the first black member of the Senate , while Blanche Bruce , also of Mississippi , seated in 1875 , was the second . Revels was the first black member of the Congress overall . </P>
<P> As a result of these measures , blacks acquired the right to vote across the Southern states . In several states ( notably Mississippi and South Carolina ) , blacks were the majority of the population . By forming coalitions with pro-Union whites , Republicans took control of the state legislatures . At the time , state legislatures elected the members of the US Senate . During Reconstruction , only the state legislature of Mississippi elected any black senators . On February 25 , 1870 , Hiram Rhodes Revels was seated as the first black member of the Senate , while Blanche Bruce , also of Mississippi , seated in 1875 , was the second . Revels was the first black member of the Congress overall . </P>
when was the first african american elected to congress
when was the first african american elected to congress
Hiram Rhodes Revels
Hiram Rhodes Revels