►To find books about this area, in OneSearch try the following subject terms
"African American legislators"
"African American legislators -- biography"
"African American legislative employees -- history"
"African Americans -- Politics and government -- history"
► Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2022 (Ebook)
The book provides a comprehensive history of the contributions of the Black Americans who have served in the United
States Congress and includes essays that situate these trailblazing Americans within both congressional and American
history. Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi was sworn in as the first black Member of the U.S. Senate in February 1870. On
December 12, 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina was sworn in as the first black Member of the U.S. House of
Representatives.
To quote from the book, "Since 1870, 175 African-American lawmakers have served in Congress as of June 1, 2022.
During the 117th Congress (2021–2023), a record 66 Black lawmakers served in Congress." (Page 5)
► “Black Americans in Congress” ( https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Black-Americans-in-Congress)/ is a website exhibition maintained by the Office of the House Historian.
At the end of each section / entry of the above publications, "Notes" provides a list of sources, which might be good for
your further reading and research.
► Black Faces in the Mirror: African Americans and their Representatives in the U.S. Congress (eBook) examines the
significance of race in the U.S. system of representative democracy for African Americans.
