Final answer:
During Reconstruction, African American congressmen faced hostility and danger, including targeted violence by groups such as the Klan, but still managed to hold political offices. Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce were notable senators, and approximately 2,000 African Americans held political positions during this period. However, their progress was largely reversed with the end of Reconstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
African American congressmen during Reconstruction faced significant challenges and were often treated differently from their white counterparts. Despite the hostile environment, African American politicians, such as Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce from Mississippi, made groundbreaking strides by serving in the United States Senate. Around 2,000 African American men held political office at various levels during Reconstruction, with a significant number being in South Carolina and Louisiana. The education that some of these politicians had received, which was atypical for average black Americans at that time, often gave them an edge in rising to prominent positions. However, they faced immense hostility, violence, and danger with groups like the Klan murdering at least thirty-five black politicians. White Southerners deeply resented the changes imposed during Reconstruction, and they often referred to this period derogatorily as a time of "negro misrule," complaining about alleged corruption among African American officials. Unfortunately, post-Reconstruction saw the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the dismantling of their political gains, not to be recovered until well into the twentieth century.