Hiram R. Revels, a Republican minister from Mississippi, becomes the first African American to serve in either chamber of the U.S. Congress He was sworn in on February 25, 1870, to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis. He served until March 1871.
Rhodes faced intense opposition from Democrats who argued he was not a citizen, his seating marked a significant milestone. He went on to become the first president of Alcorn State University. More