Question

Elections in a democratic society like the United States are supposed to represent the people. During Reconstruction, two African Americans were elected to the Senate for the very first time in American history—Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments protected African American rights, like voting.

But during later periods of Reconstruction, new barriers to voting were raised against African Americans in the South. African Americans have made up a large portion of the population of many southern states for a long time. However, it was not until 1967, almost 100 years after Revels and Bruce, that another African American was elected to the United States Senate.

Why do you think it took almost a century for another African American to be elected to the Senate?

What might this reveal about American society?

Answer 1

Jim Crow laws were in effect after the Civil War, and African Americans were already treated horribly after new changes. Furthermore, it takes a lot of money and votes to elect Senators, particularly if you're a person of color at the time. This suggests that this nation was built on old white men who were ignorant and prejudiced against people of color. The majority of senators today are old white men. Finally, Jim Crow laws restricted African Americans from doing the same actions as white people, morphing American society into one that favors Caucasians.