Joseph H. Rainey: 150 Years of Black Americans Elected to Congress
Joseph Rainey of South Carolina embarked on his remarkable House career in December 1870: he became the first African-American Representative, the first Black man to preside over the House, and the longest–serving African American during the tumultuous Reconstruction period. Rainey and his nineteenth-century colleagues blazed a path followed by more than 160 Black Members to date—despite the barriers thrown up by the legacy of slavery and the rise of Jim Crow. To celebrate Rainey’s milestone, this page provides ready access to teaching materials, oral histories, biographies, documents, artifacts, that tell the 150-year history of African Americans in Congress.
![“We Are In Earnest For Our Rights”: Representative Joseph H. Rainey and the Struggle for Reconstruction [PDF]](https://www.webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201123183030im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/uploadedImages/Exhibition_and_Publications/BAIC/ex_raineylanding_booklet_190.jpg?n=7289)
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For Educators
Explore a series of lesson plans, based on the publication Black Americans In Congress, that offer activities for students using primary sources.