1870
Zoom in — months
Key events
- February 3, 1870The 15th Amendment
The vote is guaranteed regardless of race; Black men begin electing Black officials across the South.
- February 25, 1870Hiram Revels, first Black US Senator
Revels of Mississippi becomes the first African American in the US Senate during Reconstruction.
- December 12, 1870Joseph Rainey, first Black US Representative
Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first Black member of the US House.