From 1867 to 1869, Mississippians elected 13 Black state senators and 102 representatives. In the 1870s, Alexander K. Davis served as lieutenant governor, Rev. James D. Lynch and James Hill each as secretary of state, and John R. Lynch and Isaac D. Shadd as Speakers of the House. At a time when US senators were elected by state legislators, Mississippi sent Hiram Rhodes Revels (1870-1871) and Blanche Kelso Bruce (1875-1880) to Washington.
Pictured: A black and white political cartoon. The figure on the right is of Jefferson Davis wrapped in a blanket and looking over his shoulder at a group of Congressmen. To the right, four White legislators form a semi-circle around a newly elected Black official, presumably Hiram Revels. The first line of text at the bottom reads: "Time Works Wonders." Underneath, the text reads: "I ago. (Jeff Davis.) For That I Do Suspect The Lusty Moor Hath Leap’d Into My Seat: The Thought Whereof Doth Like a Poisonous Mineral Gnaw My Inwards. – Othello"
Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-108004
