Legislature Honors Reconstruction Era Lawmakers, Associated Press - March 26, 2009.The Alabama Legislature has passed a resolution honoring black lawmakers who served during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. The resolution by Democratic Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery says black Alabama residents played an integral part in the Legislature from 1868 to 1878. At the height of Reconstruction in 1874, there were 33 blacks in the Legislature.Holmes' resolution received final approval Thursday when the House went along with changes made by the Senate. The resolution now goes to Gov. Bob Riley for his approval. The resolution calls for the names of the black lawmakers to be placed on plaques located in the rotunda of the state Capitol, on the grounds outside the Capitol and inside the entrance to the Alabama Statehouse.
Text Source: Associated Press
Image Source: Encyclopedia of Alabama
This 1872 lithograph by Currier and Ives depicts the African Americans elected to the 41st and 42nd Congress during Reconstruction. Alabama representative Benjamin Turner is pictures second from the left.
