Hiram Revels

Political Career!

American Heroes:

Hiram Revels!

Time In Washington!

• Revels was praised by the press for his " well-crafted speeches and diplomatic approach to a tense congressional environment".
• He argued most for civil rights, notably integration of schools and equal opportunity for black workers
• He had a moderate view when it came to Confederates, urging the immediate restoration of citizenship to former Confederates and ample opportunities to the African American Community

Civil War!

The Senate!

• During the Civil War, Revels recruited two black regiments from Maryland to fight
• When black soldiers were given the right to fight, he became the leader of a black regiment which had campaigns in Vicksburg and Jacksonville, Mississippi

• In 1870, the Congress elected Revels to serve on the United States Senate after a seat had been vacated
• Debate arose about his eligibility for the seat because of the Dredd Scott decision, but the decision was reversed after the 14th amendment was passed
• Revels and his fellow Republicans silenced Democrats who thought that he didn't meet the nine year citizenship requirement by citing his mixed racial background
• He then became the first African American to serve on the Senate
• The seat he took had been previously occupied by Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy

Mississippi!

• After the war had ended, he moved to Natchez, Mississippi with his family and became involved in the clergy once more
• Without any previous government experience, the community elected Revels to alderman in 1868, in the midst of the first phase of Reconstruction
• He was then later elected to serve on the Mississippi State Senate

Religious Studies!

• 1845 he was ordained as a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• He was arrested for preaching to the black community in 1845
• Took a job as a pastor in Baltimore, Maryland

His Determination!

Hiram Revels was a preacher who preached for enslaved African Americans. Even after he was imprisoned for preaching to the slaves, he still went back and continued his work after he was let out of prison.

Early Life

Some Facts!

His Use of His Power for the Good of Others, Not Himself!

It would have been very easy for him to just pack up and not go back, but because of his determination and high moral code, he continued his work to enrich the lives of those less fortunate than himself.

• His father was an African American Baptist preacher
• His mother was Scottish in descent
• He went to school at a school taught by a free African American woman during a time in which it was still illegal to educate black children in North Carolina
• He worked for a short time as a barber before moving to continue his education

During his time in office, Revels never shied away from going after the things that he believed in. He worked hard to get rights for former slaves after the civil war. He even went so far as to address the President on the subject of ending the segregation of schools. He uses none of his power for political gain, in a place where he certainly could have.

What Makes Hiram Revels a Hero?

In Conclusion!

The Beginning!

• Hiram Rhodes Revels was born on September 27, 1827 in Fayetteville North Carolina
• Even though he was born in the South during a time of slavery, he was a free man

Hiram Revels is a hero because of his unwavering determination to help those who needed it. When he could only do so much as brighten the spirits of slaves, he did so, going back to preach to them even after he had been imprisoned for it and even when it could have come with great consequences for himself. And when he was propelled to a position of power, he did not let the power go to his head, instead using all his power to provide ample opportunities for people who needed it and taking the extra steps to make sure issues that he felt important were heard. It is through his hard work and determination to improve the lives of former slaves and the less fortunate that Hiram Revels has instated himself as a true American hero.

Sources!

"(1871) Senator Hiram Revels Calls For The End Of Segregated Schools | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." (1871) Senator Hiram Revels Calls For The End Of Segregated Schools | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.blackpast.org/1871-senator-hiram-revels-calls-end-segregated-schools>.

Civil War Poster. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/images/jhmheroes.jpg>.

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"Hiram R. Revels Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/hiram-r-revels-9456129#awesm=~oEg9xdjKNpWijz>.

"Hiram Revels." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/images/360.gif>.

Hiram Revels. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.virginiamemory.com/docs/Revels.jpg>.

"Hiram Revels Photo." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://blackhistory.harpweek.com/7Illustrations/Reconstruction/Illustrations/0116w500.jpg>.

"REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information." REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information. Biographical Directory of The United States Congress, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000166>.

"REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information." REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information. Blackpast.org: Remembered and Reclaimed, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.blackpast.org/aah/revels-hiram-rhoades-1827-1901>.

"REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information." REVELS, Hiram Rhodes - Biographical Information. History, Art, and Archives United States House of Representatives, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/REVELS,-Hiram-Rhodes-(R000166)/>.

"St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church." St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Norfolk/StJohnsAfricanMethEpisChurch_Photo.htm>.

"Washington Monument." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608054531878619176&pid=1.7>.

Mollie Salamon