Blacks Elected in Mississippi In March, 1867 Congress passed the Reconstruction Act, opening the era of Congressional Reconstruction. The Act divided the South into five military districts and disenfranchised large numbers of white southerners. The result was black voting majorities in five southern states. This soon led to the election of numerous blacks to high political office, as shown in this photo montage from Mississippi. Amongst the distinguished lawyers and politicians depicted here are Blanche K. Bruce and Hiram Revels (at left and right of the Old Capitol building). Both men were elected to the U.S. Senate, while their colleague John R. Lynch (located below Bruce in the picture) served in the U.S. House of Representatives—one of twenty African-Americans to be elected there during the Reconstruction era. This search tool will help you find more images.