On this day, December 12, in 1870

Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first African American to serve in the US House of Representatives. Originally born into slavery, Rainey was freed as an infant, and returned to South Carolina as an adult, where he became involved in politics. His focus was protecting the civil rights of Southern blacks and he was re-elected to congress four times. With the end of Reconstruction though, the black electorate lost all its political power, and Rainey was pulled out of office by a white candidate. Complete control of the South was soon returned to racist white fanatics, and remained so for decades.