Reconstruction: The Vote | Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

NARRATOR: Most of us know our country fought a Civil War in the 1860s, but less is known about what came afterward. The chaotic, exhilarating, and ultimately devastating period known as Reconstruction. It was a moment of profound change, with promises of citizenship and equal rights for all. 

One of the greatest achievements of Reconstruction was granting Black men the right to vote. In 1867 alone, over 80% of all the Black men in the former Confederate states registered to vote. Three years later, Hiram Revels was elected the first Black man to serve in the United States Senate. And Joseph Rainey became the first Black United States Congressman. Their election paved the way for more than two-thousand Black officeholders who served at every level of government during Reconstruction. 

KIMBERLE CRENSHAW: There are not many moments in recorded human history where a group that was so subordinated would within the space of a decade actually be integrated into the highest echelons of political society.

NARRATOR: But the momentum wouldn’t last. Black men’s access to the ballot box along with other key rights gained during Reconstruction were rolled back systematically throughout the south. 

In 1875, near the end of Reconstruction, the 44th Congress included seven Black house members and a United States Senator. By 1900, only one remained: congressman George Henry White of North Carolina. 

KHALIL GIBRAN MUHAMMAD: By the time George H. White leaves office in 1901, he literally turns the light off on national Black political leadership. No one will come behind him for an entire generation. 

NARRATOR: One of the cruel ironies of Reconstruction is that Black people could claim certain rights in the 1870s that they would have to fight to reclaim in the 1960s. A sobering reminder that achievements thought permanent can be overturned and rights can never be taken for granted.