Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to free parents. He attended school in Ohio and worked as a barber before being ordained as a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1854, he moved to Mississippi, where he became involved in politics. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1865 and was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1868.
In 1870, Revels was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by Jefferson Davis, who had been expelled after the Confederate States of America lost the Civil War. Revels served in the Senate for one term and was not re-elected. He continued to be involved in politics after his time in the Senate and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876.
Revels died in Aberdeen, Mississippi, in 1901. He is remembered as a pioneering figure in African-American politics and as a courageous advocate for civil rights.
Here are some of the key accomplishments and contributions of Hiram Revels:
* He was the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Mississippi from 1870 to 1871.
* He served on the Senate Committees on Education and Labor, and Public Lands.
* He advocated for civil rights and equal treatment for African Americans, and spoke out against discrimination and racial violence.
* He supported public education, land grants for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other policies to improve opportunities for African Americans.
* He was an outspoken critic of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations.
* Revels was involved in various civic organizations and continued to be active in politics after his time in the Senate.
Revels' contributions and advocacy helped lay the foundation for the civil rights movement and the fight for racial equality in the United States.