Also American

Person · 1842–1884

Robert Brown Elliott

The South Carolina congressman whose oratory for the 1875 Civil Rights Act became legendary.

A force of [[reconstruction-politics]].

A brilliant lawyer and orator, Robert Brown Elliott led South Carolina's militia against the Klan and delivered a famous speech defending the Civil Rights Act of 1875 on the House floor.

Reconstruction & Black Political Power

On the timeline

  1. March 1, 1875
    The Civil Rights Act of 1875

    A federal ban on racial discrimination in public accommodations — later gutted by the courts.

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