On this date in 1868, the North Carolina legislature convened with a historic composition: 21 Black legislators and 149 white legislators. This was a significant moment during Reconstruction, as it marked the first time Black representatives participated in North Carolina’s government.
This came after the state ratified a new constitution earlier that year, which expanded voting rights to Black men. Many of these Black legislators were formerly enslaved individuals or free Black men who were stepping into politics for the first time.
This legislature played a crucial role in:
However, this progress faced violent opposition from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, leading to the eventual rollback of these rights during Jim Crow.
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