The post-civil war Reconstruction period (1865-1877) was a fleeting glimpse of freedom for Black Americans before a national political deal stopped the progress and permitted the introduction of racist laws and the Jim Crow era. To learn more about Reconstruction, CLICK HERE
A prime example right here in Charleston….a Black man, born free, rose to serve in Congress and as Lt. Governor only to die as a street sweeper.
In 1870, Alonzo J. Ransier from Charleston was elected to a two-year term as South Carolina’s first African American lieutenant governor. The attached picture is from SCDAH’s photograph collection (P 900051 Box 2 Folder 44). From the South Carolina Archive.
Ransier also served a term in Congress. CLICK HERE FOR MORE. This link provides a fascinating glimpse at the frustrations of freedmen during the short lived Reconstruction.
And here’s more from the website BlackPast