TAG: Congress
The Black Governor Who Was Almost a Senator
Why didn’t more than one black person serve in the Senate during the Reconstruction era — a condition that persisted until this year? Continue reading
Cory Booker and the First Black Senators
Iin 1870, the senators in power after the Civil War had to settle a fundamental question when it came to seating Hiram R. Revels, the first black senator-elect: Was it too soon, according to the Constitution, for any black man to be legally entitled to serve? Continue reading
Which Slave Sailed Himself to Freedom?
Just before dawn on May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls and a crew composed of fellow slaves, in the absence of the white captain and his two mates, slipped a cotton steamer off the dock, picked up family members at a rendezvous point, then slowly navigated their way through the harbor. Smalls, doubling as the captain, even donning the captain’s wide-brimmed straw hat to help to hide his face, responded with the proper coded signals at two Confederate checkpoints, including at Fort Sumter itself, and other defense positions. Cleared, Smalls sailed into the open seas. Once outside of Confederate waters, he had his crew raise a white flag and surrendered his ship to the blockading Union fleet. Continue reading
Find educational resources related to this program - and access to thousands of curriculum-targeted digital resources for the classroom at PBS LearningMedia.
Visit PBS Learning Media
