MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2011 By: Senator(s) Simmons, Butler (36th), To: Rules Dearing, Butler (38th), Horhn, Gollott, Kirby, Lee (35th), Fillingane, Jones, Jordan, Blount, Baria, Turner, Dawkins, Frazier, Hopson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Powell, Simmons (12th), Stone SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 639 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE LEGACY OF UNITED 2 STATES SENATOR HIRAM REVELS FROM NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI, THE FIRST 3 PRESIDENT OF ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE FIRST 4 AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO SERVE IN CONGRESS. 5 WHEREAS, the month of February is Black History Month, and in 6 the State of Mississippi it is most appropriate that we reflect on 7 the legacy of United States Senator Hiram Revels, the first 8 President of what is now Alcorn State University and the first 9 African-American to serve in the United States Congress; and 10 WHEREAS, with his moderate political orientation and 11 oratorical skills honed from years as a preacher, Hiram Revels 12 filled a vacant seat in the United States Senate in 1870. Hiram 13 Rhodes Revels was born to free parents in Fayetteville, North 14 Carolina, on September 27, 1827. His father worked as a Baptist 15 preacher, and his mother was of Scottish descent. In an era when 16 educating black children was illegal in North Carolina, Revels 17 attended a school taught by a free black woman and worked a few 18 years as a barber. In 1844, he moved north to complete his 19 education. Revels attended the Beech Grove Quaker Seminary in 20 Liberty, Indiana, and the Darke County Seminary for black students 21 in Ohio. In 1845, Revels was ordained in the African Methodist 22 Episcopal (AME) Church; and 23 WHEREAS, Revels traveled throughout the country, carrying out 24 religious work and educating fellow African-Americans in Indiana, 25 Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Although Missouri 26 forbade free blacks to live in the state, Revels took a pastorate 27 at an African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Louis in 1853, 28 noting that the law was "seldom enforced." When the Civil War S. C. R. No. 639 *SS01/R1273* N1/2 11/SS01/R1273 PAGE 1 29 broke out in 1861, Revels helped recruit two black regiments from 30 Maryland. In 1862, when black soldiers were permitted to fight, 31 he served as the chaplain for a black regiment in campaigns in 32 Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi. In 1863, Revels returned to 33 St. Louis, where he established a Freedmen's School. Revels 34 served in churches in Louisville, Kentucky, and New Orleans, 35 Louisiana, before settling in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1866; and 36 WHEREAS, before the Civil War, fewer than 1,000 free black 37 Mississippians had access to a basic education. Thus, leadership 38 from freedmen such as Revels became vital to the Republican Party 39 for rallying the new electorate in the postwar years. It was 40 through his work in education that Revels became involved in 41 politics, taking his first elected position as a Natchez Alderman 42 in 1868. He entered politics reluctantly, fearing racial friction 43 and interference with his religious work, but he quickly won over 44 blacks and whites with his moderate and compassionate political 45 opinions. In 1869, encouraged to run by a friend, future 46 Representative John Roy Lynch, Revels won a seat in the 47 Mississippi State Senate. Under the newly installed 48 Reconstruction government, Revels was one of more than 30 49 African-Americans among the state's 140 legislators; and 50 WHEREAS, the primary task of the newly elected State Senate 51 was to fill United States Senate seats. In 1861, Democrat Albert 52 Brown and future Confederate President Jefferson Davis both 53 vacated Mississippi's United States Senate seats when the state 54 seceded from the Union. When their terms expired in 1865 and 55 1863, respectively, their seats were not filled and remained 56 vacant. The new Mississippi State Legislature wished to elect a 57 black man to fill the remainder of the term due to expire in 1871, 58 and after three days and seven ballots, on January 20, 1870, the 59 Mississippi State Legislature voted 85 to 15 to seat Hiram Revels 60 in Brown's former seat; and S. C. R. No. 639 *SS01/R1273* 11/SS01/R1273 PAGE 2 61 WHEREAS, Revels arrived in Washington at the end of January 62 1870, but could not present his credentials until Mississippi was 63 readmitted to the United States on February 23. Although Revels 64 viewed himself as "a representative of the State, irrespective of 65 color," he also represented freedmen and, as such, received 66 petitions from black men and women from all states. Revels also 67 favored universal amnesty for former Confederates, requiring only 68 their sworn loyalty to the Union. Revels clearly rejected legal 69 separation of the races, believing it led to animosity between 70 blacks and whites, but he did not view forced social mixing as 71 desirable or necessary. He cited mixed-race churches in northern 72 cities, where a congregation would worship together on Sundays but 73 part ways for the remainder of the week; and 74 WHEREAS, after the expiration of his Senate term on March 3, 75 1871, Revels declined several patronage positions, offered by 76 President Ulysses S. Grant. He returned to Mississippi to become 77 the first President of Alcorn University (formerly Oakland 78 College), named for his political ally Governor James Alcorn. 79 Located in Rodney, Mississippi, Alcorn University was the first 80 land-grant school in the United States for black students. Revels 81 took a leave of absence in 1873 to serve as Mississippi's interim 82 Secretary of State after the sudden death of his friend James 83 Lynch. During this period, Revels grew more critical of the 84 corruption in the Republican Party, and he resigned from his 85 position at Alcorn in 1874 to avoid being removed by his political 86 rival and former Senate colleague, then Mississippi Governor 87 Adelbert Ames; and 88 WHEREAS, Revels returned to the ministry, taking a pastorate 89 at a church in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He also edited the 90 Southwestern Christian Advocate newspaper, the official organ of 91 the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Revels retired in 1882 92 and returned to his former church in Holly Springs. He remained 93 active in the religious community, teaching theology at Shaw S. C. R. No. 639 *SS01/R1273* 11/SS01/R1273 PAGE 3 94 University (later Rust College) in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and 95 serving as the African Methodist Episcopal's District 96 Superintendent. He died of a stroke in Aberdeen, Mississippi, on 97 January 16, 1901, while attending a religious conference; and 98 WHEREAS, the arrival of Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi 99 on Capitol Hill in 1870 ranks among the great moments in American 100 political history. The institution of Congress and the careers of 101 the black members who have served in both chambers have undergone 102 extensive changes during this span of nearly 140 years. Their 103 experience mirrors that of other groups that were new to the 104 political system and the rising influence of black legislators 105 today has its foundation in this pioneer statesman: 106 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 107 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 108 we do hereby recognize the legacy of United States Senator Hiram 109 Revels, first President of Alcorn State University and the first 110 African-American to serve in the United States Congress, and we 111 commend his story to all students of Mississippi history. 112 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be forwarded to 113 the State Superintendent of Education for proper distribution 114 during Black History Month and made available to the Capitol Press 115 Corps. S. C. R. No. 639 *SS01/R1273* 11/SS01/R1273 ST: Recognize legacy of U. S. Senator Hiram PAGE 4 Revels, first President of ASU and first African-American to serve in Congress. .