Hiram Revels: The First Black Senator

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone. Welcome back. 

In the earliest months of reconstruction, it looked as though American politics were on the verge of a profound shift. As former confederate states took the necessary steps to re-enter the union, the republican party enjoyed a temporary, but significant amount of clout and power. During their limited time, some members of the republican party sought to redefine the makeup of the U.S. political system by promoting hundreds of Black men into elected office. 

One such man was Hiram Revels. Born free in North Carolina in 1827, Revels earned the respect of many with his centrist views. Limited to a single, shortened term in office, Hiram Revels broke barriers by becoming the first African American to serve in the United States Senate, representing the state of Mississippi for just over a year. 

So this week, I am diving into the life of Hiram Revels. Who was he? How did he get into politics? And what did he do with his short tenure in office?

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

As historian Eric Foner observes, quote: “the reconstruction state differed profoundly from anything the antebellum state had known,” end quote. As the dust settled on war and former confederate states navigated the process of rejoining the union, members of the republican party dominated. As I mentioned at the top of the episode, their influence would be short-lived, but they initially enjoyed notable influence and command of state governments throughout the south and used this to place Black men into positions of political influence.

Hiram Rhodes Revels was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on September 27, 1827. His father served as a Baptist preacher and his mother had Scottish ancestry. Growing up as Black kid in North Carolina, it was against the law for Revels to receive any education. Despite its illegality, Revels attended a private school run by a black woman. Beyond his dedication to education, not much is known about Revels’ youth. Committed to increasing his knowledge, Revels headed north, where he attended the Beech Groove Quaker Seminary in Liberty, Indiana, followed by the Darke County Seminary for black students in Ohio. Revels studied theology and became ordained in 1845 with the African Methodist Episcopal, or AME, church. 

In the 1850s, Revels met and fell in love with Pheobe A. Bass, a fellow free black woman from Ohio. The two were married and together had six children - all daughters. As a pastor, Revels traveled the country for work, including stints in Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Revels even briefly lives in Missouri, which had laws on the books preventing free black Americans from settling within its border, fearing that they’d perpetuate uprisings of enslaved individuals. Despite the danger, Revels served as a pastor in St. Louis, deciding that the job was worth the risk since, in his estimation, the law against free black residents was not strictly enforced. While in St. Louis Revels tried to fly under the radar, understanding the precarity of his situation. Unfortunately for him, his sense of caution was insufficient and he was eventually jailed for committing the grave act of preaching to Black Americans in 1854. 

After his release, Revels decided the risk was no longer worth it and traveled to Maryland, where he took a job with his brother, Willis Revels, who also served as a pastor at an AME church in Baltimore. As one of the few educated black men during the period, Revels became principal of a black school white living in Baltimore and even advanced his own education, attending Knox College from 1855 to 1857 on a scholarship where he studied theology. In 1861, as the nation broke out in Civil War, Revels sought to aid union efforts by recruiting two black regiments from Maryland. Throughout the war, Revels served as chaplain for the union army in Mississippi, and worked to establish schools for freed slaves.

This work brought Revels to St. Louis again in 1863, where he helped establish freedmen’s schools. Revels had a bit of wanderlust, traveling frequently after the end of the Civil War, serving as a preacher in Kentucky and Louisiana before settling in Natchez, MS in 1866. When he wasn’t serving as the church pastor, Revels was deeply committed to ensuring his fellow black neighbors received a good education and his work in promoting and establishing schools is ultimately what propelled Revels into politics. Initially hesitant to enter the arena for fear of racial friction, Revels first served as alderman for the city where he won over both whites and blacks with his moderate views. 

In 1869, Revels was elected to state office, representing Adams County in the senate. Revels was one of 30 black legislators serving in Mississippi during the time, sitting among a total of 140 representatives. While membership was low, it was still an incredible achievement for Black Americans who just a few years prior were considered property of the white ruling class. The primary task for the men serving in the Mississippi state house was to select representatives to serve in the United States Senate. When Mississippi seceded from the union at the outbreak of Civil War, both of their representatives - Albert Brown and future President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis - resigned their seats. With republicans enjoying control of both houses in Congress, it was up to them to decide just who would fill each seat. Brown and Davis’ senate terms had staggered end dates and so Mississippi had to choose who would fill Brown’s vacant seat - which was set to expire in 1871- and who would fill Davis’ seat - due to end in 1875. 

Direct election of senators was still a few decades away when the 17th Amendment would establish popular elections for senate races in 1913. This meant the decision on who filled each post fell to the legislators in the state house and not voters. At the time, roughly 25% of the state’s legislative body was made up of African Americans. While still a minority of those seated, they proved to be very vocal, pushing their belief that one of the vacant senate seats needed to be filled by an African American.Revels had built a strong reputation among his colleagues as a moderate and impressed fellow legislators after giving the opening prayer at the state of the legislative session. As a result, Hiram Revels was the top choice to fill one of the vacant posts. 

No matter how moderate Revels was, however, this was still Mississippi. Home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Although Black Americans were seated in the legislature, they did not hold a majority and there was no sense that Revels’ candidacy was guaranteed. In fact, it took three days and seven ballots before members of the Mississippi legislature selected Hiram Revels to head to the United States Senate in a vote of 85 to 15. But, there was a catch. Revels could go to the Senate - but only as the replacement for Brown’s seat. Despite the truncated timeframe in office, those in support of Revels agreed since they hoped that his presence on the Senate floor - however limited it might be - would be enough to combat some of the racial prejudice against Black Americans. Members of the Democratic party agreed for less altruistic reasons. In their minds, sending a Black Republican representative to Congress would portray the party as radical, minimizing their power moving forward. 

For the longer post, legislators chose General Alderbert Ames. Ames was a soldier, serving in the Union Army during the Civil War and another member of the republican party. Revels arrived in D.C. in January of 1870 ready to take his oath of office, but had to wait for his state to be readmitted to the union. Once that was finalized on February 23rd, Revels was introduced to his future colleagues by Senator Henry Wilson where he presented his credentials as one of the selected Mississippi senators. However, his arrival was unwelcome and several senators took steps to prevent him from taking his seat. Senators Garrety Davis of Kentucky and Willard Saulsbury of Delaware argued against Revels’ appointment claiming that he could not be seated because Mississippi was under military rule and lacked a civil government to confirm Revels’ election. Other Senators objected to Revels’ appointment claiming he did not meet the citizenship requirement to serve as outlined in the Constitution. 

In their argument, these Senators stated that the Constitution specifies that in order to be a senator, individuals had to be a citizen for nine years before assuming office. Citing the 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision, these Senators argued that the earliest Revels could have been a citizen was 1866 and therefore had not yet had enough time as a citizen to serve. I remind you this is a man who was born free, not enslaved, and had lived as such his entire life. Those in support of Revels also pointed to the fact that as a young man, Revels had participated in the franchise, which should be proof enough that he had always been a citizen. Additionally, some argued that given the ratification of the 14th Amendment, the Scott decision no longer had validity.

Charles Summner, a long time ally of Black Americans, argued in defense of seating Revels, giving a speech pushing his colleagues to vote to approve his appointment. Finally, on February 25th, 1870, in a vote of 48 to 8, Hiram Revels made history by becoming the first Black American to be sworn into the United States Senate. The fact that he represented the state of MIssissippi was not lost on those in the chamber as Nevada Senator James Nyle proclaimed, quote: “what a magnificent spectacle of retributive  RET TRI BUU TIVE justice is witnessed here today! In the place of that proud, defiant man, who marched out to trample under foot the constitution and the laws of the country he had sworn to support, comes back one of that humble race whom he would have enslaved forever to take and occupy his seat upon this floor,” end quote. Nyle was referencing Jefferson Davis in his remarks and while Revels was in fact not taking Davis’ former seat, it was still a historic moment that the first state to seat a black man was the former home of the confederate government. 

As Senator, Hiram Revels was appointed to the Education and Labor Committee, and the Committee on the District of Columbia. While Revels technically only represented his constituents in MIssissippi, he realized that his appointment represented the interests and likely future prospects of his fellow Black Americans. Several citizens reached out to Revels for help and advice, many of whom did not reside in Mississippi. Revels spent his time in the Senate focused on supporting education for Black Americans. His maiden speech came just three weeks after his tenure began, when he brought forward his opinions about a bill allowing Georgia to rejoin the union. 

Georgia residents had ratified their constitution in April of 1868 which extended the franchise to Black Americans. In this same election, voters also chose 29 black legislators to serve in the state house and 3 black men to serve in the state senate. Their victories were ignored by their colleagues, as white republicans and democrats joined forces to deny the candidates their seats, claiming the state constitution did not permit the election of black men. Not willing to accept the decision without a fight, Black Georgians appealed to the federal government prior to Georgia’s readmittance asking for assistance. Understanding his position as the only Black voice in the senate, Revels addressed his colleagues on March 16th, stating partially quote: “I stand today on this floor to appeal for protection from the strong arm of the government for her loyal children, irrespective of color and race, who are citizens of the southern states, and particularly the state of Georgia,” end quote. Senate tradition was that junior members wait at least a year before addressing the chamber. Revels acknowledged this tradition in his opening remarks and pointed to the fact that because his time was so limited - and the topic at hand so important - he hoped his colleagues would be forgiving, saying quote: “but when I remember that my term is short, and that the issues with which this bill is fraught are momentous in their present and future influence upon the well-being of my race, I would seem indifferent to the importance of the house and recreant to the high trust imposed upon me if I hesitated to lend my voice on behalf of the loyal people of the south,” end quote. 

Revels spoke against Georgia’s readmission with a state constitution that did not permit black men to hold office. Georgia legislators eventually relented and agreed to a congressional mandate reinstating the formerly ousted black representatives as a condition of their re-entry into the union. Although Revels gave an impassioned speech on behalf of black Georgians, he was a very moderate politician. For example, Revels favored amnesty for former confederates which helped solidify his middle of the road reputation. Revels did raise a few eyebrows when he nominated Michael Howard, a young black man, to the United States Army Military Academy at West Point. Up to that point, attendees of the Military Academy had been all white and overwhelmingly from the south. Despite his nomination, Howard was not admitted. While Revels was unsuccessful in getting Howard admitted to the Military Academy at West Point, he did manage to help Black mechanics from Baltimore get work at the U.S. Navy Yard in Maryland by making an appeal to the War Department. 

Despite being a moderate politician, Revels was not re-selected after his term expired in 1871. He was apparently offered several posts by then-president Ulysess S. Grant, but Revels declined. Instead, Revels returned to Mississippi in 1871, where he became the President of Alcorn College, the first land-grant school in the United States for black students. He continued in this capacity until 1873, when he took a leave of absence to serve as Mississippi’s interim Secretary of State after the sudden death of his friend and former Secretary, James Lynch. 

 Revels eventually resigned from Alcorn University to avoid being removed from political rival and newly elected Governor, Adelbert Ames. Revels surprised some of his colleagues when he supported several Democratic candidates in the 1875 elections. In Revels’ estimation, the Republican Party has become too corrupt and he went so far as to write a letter to President Grant criticizing the republican party as not having done enough for Black Americans and his hope that the Democrats winning in 1875 would propel true reform-minded Republicans to take back power in 1876. 

The elections in Mississippi in 1875 were incredibly violent, with white Democrats exerting tremendous pressure to deter Black Americans from casting their vote for the republican ticket. When the Senate investigated the election, they called on Revels to provide testimony on what he witnessed during the election. Revels again surprised many when he testified that to his knowledge, the elections were peaceful and devoid of any violence - in contradiction to the overwhelming evidence otherwise. 

Revels returned to his post as President of Alcorn University in July of 1876 before retiring in 1882 when he returned to Holly Springs. In retirement, Revels served as the AME’s district superintendent and taught theology at Shaw University, now known as Rust College. Revels died on January 16, 1901 in Aberdeen, Mississippi due to a paralytic stroke. He was 73. 

Revels was the first of two Black Senators to serve in Congress during Reconstruction - both of whom served just a single term in office. Despite demonstrating the capacity of Black Americans to be effective legislators, it would take another 80 years before Edward Brook became just the third Black Senator when he was elected in 1967. In a review of membership over the years, the United States Congress has had just 11 Black Senators, most of whom were elected in the last 25 years, demonstrating just how impactful the failures of Reconstruction were and how the long shadow of Jim Crow lasted long beyond the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

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Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

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