Comment #5

LiLSpeedy — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 23:08:27 GMT

LL, Spike-RCZ just tore Sully and Maddog a new azzhole. Both of them deserved it. I'm sure he will be blocked, they can't stand intelligence. But he would not be missing anything because all of their(repub trolls) blogs is boring and ill conceived.

Comment #4

Lucky Loser — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:08:47 GMT

<br />But, these old white people from way back in the confederate days are accustomed to the times of then wherein blacks had NO PLACE, NO BUSINESS, and NO NOTHING when it came to opportunity, rights, and even reasonable equalities. These cry babies honestly believe in white supremacy, Speedy, and it shows. President Obama is such a terrible President and so wrong for this country THAT HE WAS VOTED IN TWICE AND WON BY AN EVEN BIGGER LAND SLIDE ON HIS SECOND VICTORY. Then, to think that blacks... [ More ]

Comment #3

LiLSpeedy — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 14:06:05 GMT

"There is not a single Black, who voted for Obama, only for the color of the skin."<br /><br />I guess that is why we only had 43 white presidents because no black man has ever gotten as far as Obama. And since blacks were originally repubs, why is that they never had a black president? The same reason blacks became democrats...the republican party let racists and bigots infiltrate it. <br

Comment #2

LiLSpeedy — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 01:02:20 GMT

A kicked bitch and a cry-baby troll will always hollow. SAD.

Comment #1

LiLSpeedy — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 20:58:16 GMT

The cry-baby troll decided to add his 2% knowledge to the mix. He stated, " they were all brave republicans." What he failed to mention is that All the early Black congressmen (and senators) were members of the Republican party. This is because the Republicans, exemplified by President Abraham Lincoln, were the party in office during the Civil War and many abolitionists belonged to the Republican Party. The Democrats were opposed to all attempts to banish slavery. But then racists like the cry-baby entered the republican party, so blacks became brave democrats. Go back to school cry-baby, you're embarrassing yourself.... [ More ]

Original Blog Entry: The First Black Congressmen - A profile of courage

LiLSpeedy — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:12:00 GMT

After the Civil War it became possible for Blacks to vote in the south. This was made possible by the passage of the Reconstruction Acts by Congress. Five states had a majority Black population: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Prior to the Reconstruction Acts, which were given more support by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, there were 627,000 White voters in the south and no Black voters. After Blacks gained the right to vote, and there were 703,000 who did so, it became possible for Blacks to hold office on a local and statewide basis.

All the early Black congressmen (and senators) were members of the Republican party. This is because the Republicans, exemplified by President Abraham Lincoln, were the party in office during the Civil War and many abolitionists belonged to the Republican Party. The Democrats were opposed to all attempts to banish slavery.

Thirteen of the twenty-two Blacks elected to Congress during Reconstruction were ex-slaves and all were self taught or family trained. There were seven lawyers, three ministers, one banker, one publisher, two school teachers, and three college presidents. Eight had experience in state assemblies and senates. There were problems, however, as five of the first twenty Blacks elected to the House were denied their seats and ten others had their terms interrupted or delayed. Claims of vote fraud were the most common ploy used by Whites to deny an elected Black person his seat.

In 1869 James Lewis, John Willis Menard, and Pinckney B.S. Pinchback all of Louisiana were elected and never seated. In 1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina was the first Black to be seated in the House. He ran for reelection in 1872, won, and in 1874 his reelection was challenged. He was seated after the House, after several months, voted to seat him. He won again in 1876, and was again challenged. He was seated and after eighteen months the investigating committee recommended his seat be declared vacant. The full House, however, did not vote on the matter and referred it back to committee.

Other Blacks who were elected to the House and seated often had very rocky tenures. Only a few did not have to face hostile, organized opposition within Congress. A few examples are listed below.

Robert C. DeLarge, South Carolina, elected in 1870

His election was challenged from the beginning and the challenge resulted in him serving twenty-two months out of twenty-four. The seat was declared vacant for the final two months.

Josiah Thomas Walls, Florida, elected in 1870

Wells was the only Black representative unseated twice by opponents challenging his elections.

Jefferson Franklin Long, Georgia, elected in 1871

Served an abbreviated term in 1871 (the election he won was held to fill an abbreviated term). White congressional opposition and intimidation of Black voters led to him not being reelected.

Robert Brown Elliott, South Carolina, elected in 1871

An attorney before he entered politics, Elliott served two consecutive terms. He was also able to read, German, Spanish, French, and Latin.

Joseph H. Rainey, South Carolina, elected in 1871

Served two consecutive terms, but as usual, the environment in Congress, especially from White southern representatives, was very hostile.

Alonzo J. Ransier, Georgia, elected in 1872

Succeeded Robert C. DeLarge. He was Lt. Governor before he won DeLarge's seat.

James T. Rapier, Alabama, elected in 1873

He served two consecutive terms and lost in 1875 when many ballot boxes were stolen and destroyed and replaced with others containing stuffed or illegally cast ballots. There was also armed intimidation of Black voters by Whites.

John Mercer Langston, Virginia, elected in 1888

The only Black person ever elected to Congress from Virginia, Mercer was denied his seat for almost two years.

Thomas E. Miller, South Carolina, elected in 1889

He served one term and afterwards was named president of the State Colored College at Orangeburg, South Carolina.

During Reconstruction, southern Whites suddenly found themselves looking at former slaves not only eyeball to eyeball, but as equals before the law and in their (the freed slaves) ability to obtain elected office. Many Whites never ceased trying to turn back the clock so to speak.

Through the imposition of Black Codes, laws designed to limit Black participation in all areas of life, the establishment of sanctioned violence and control on the local level by the Ku Klux Klan, the active and passive aid via passing legislation and refusing to act when called upon in certain circumstances of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes, the Whites were eventually successful in bringing about the end of Reconstruction. In Reconstruction's place segregation was instituted and voting rights for Blacks ceased. Thus, toward the end of the 19th century, it became virtually impossible for Blacks in the south to be elected any office. This reality did not alter until the mid-1960s.

... [ More ]