'African American Politicians\r'

'During the reconstruction era eachplace twain thousand African Americans served in federal, state, and local offices. Information on these individuals is k nonty to find, devouring as during this metre sear lawmakers were condemned as subhu worldly concern, and in no involve of documentation. Eric Foner, author of sour Politicians in the reconstructive memory Era, stated that of the two thousand he only found about 1465 for his book. A great deal of the information on these men and the offices they held was obscure and incorrect.\r\nMany scholars had unreasonable information about the education train of these African American lawmakers. For example, existencey scholars claimed that close to(prenominal) inkiness delegates to the Georgia convention were illiterate, actually twenty-two of these thirty-seven could use up and write. This was grandiose determineing as it was against the law in many states for African Americans to be taught how to read or write. The basi c research on these politicians was not through because these scholars thought they knew totally they needed to know.\r\nThese lawmakers were forbidding; many were ex-slaves, so they must have been ignorant, corrupt, and incompetent, this was the stereo fictional character, but it was not so! Many of the African American leading saw fit to coach themselves. Men like John Roy Lynch, who took time off from his photographer”s studio apartment to observe a white classroom from across an alley. He continued this until he had mastered all of the classes taught there. Situations like this steer the desire and determination these men had to learn. He used this training to become speaker unit of the Mississippi house and later a member of congress.\r\nThese ar only two of the many examples of African Americans who self snap off themselves in a time when African Americans were banned from education. Others did have a semiformal education. In South Carolina, State financial of ficer Francis L. Cardozo attended Glasgow and London. He was a look in New Haven and a principal for the School for Blacks in Charleston. These were better credentials than some white politicians had. stintingally black politicians were in no manner reaping the monetary rewards that Conservatives and white carpetbaggers enjoyed.\r\nWhile African Americans status impressive compared to other freedmen, most could not translate semipolitical superpower into a share of the economic harvesting of their states. Even prominent leaders such(prenominal) as Hiram Revels, who was the first the first black man to serve in the coupled States Senate sometimes found it necessary to put one across small loans from white politicians to meet every day expense. The reconstruction era was a difficult time for African American politicians. In a time when interdict stereotypes where all too common, and the color of your disrobe determined your level of intelligence in the eyes of many.\r\nBlack leaders had to puzzle out twice as hard to perform half as much. An extremely applicable point, and a credit to the African American politicians was the fact that there was a very small amount of vindictiveness in their actions and words. They had no dreams or desires to take advantage, or become greedy with the power they were opening to acquire. They seemed more fixated on receiving what they thought they were authorise to. Beverly Nash, a member of the South Carolina convention, asseverate in his first speech, â€Å"the white man is a true friend of the black man.\r\nHe went on to say, â€Å"I you could see the scroll of the society that banner represents, you would see the white man and the black man standing with their arms locked together, as the type of friendship we desire. ” Even when some leaders such as Henry McNeal Turner, who was close universally disliked by whites, dormant did what he could to assist in help the white economy recover its economic stre ngth. Even after all that was done to them, the black leaders held no resentment, and worked for the benefites of blacks and whites as a whole.\r\nIn conclusion, there are many misconceptions about African American leaders during the era of reconstruction. From their level of education, to the positions they held, and the lifestyles they lead. Black leaders were equally, if not more restricted than their white counter parts for political positions. Unfortunately they were not being compensable in the same manner as the white politicians.\r\n'