On February 25, 1870, just five years after the Civil War, the first black man became a member of Congress. In particular, Hiram Revels became a U.S. Senator for the state of Mississippi.

Hiram Revels was born in North Carolina at a time when blacks were not allowed to read and write. So, Revels moved to Ohio and studied in order to learn to read and write and become a minister. Later, Revels moved to Mississippi as minister. Then, during the Civil War, Revels helped to create African-American regiments and developed schools for freed slaves to learn to read and write. After the Civil War, Revels became a state senator in Mississippi.

Revels’ colleagues in the Mississippi state legislature elected him to fill in for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate based on his leadership skills. Then, on this day, February 25, 1870, history was made as Revels became the very first non-white male to serve in Congress. The gallery was packed with spectators and many Southern Senators made racial attacks at Revels and wrongly accused him of not being a U.S. citizen (which he was). Finally, the commotion was put down, and Revels was sworn into service as the first black man in Congress.

When Revels ended his term in March 1871, he returned to Mississippi and later became president of a local college.