This is a traveling exhibit, produced by the Arkansas State Archives and Black History Commission of Arkansas, tells the story of the eighty-five African Americans who served in the Arkansas General Assembly in the 19th century. After the Civil War, Arkansas adopted a new constitution in 1868 and its provisions included giving black males the right to vote and hold public office. African American lawyers, merchants, ministers, educators, farmers and other professionals served in the Arkansas General Assembly. Photographs of forty-six of the eighty-five legislators are an integral part of this exhibit's display. Also featured is a complete listing of the legislators and a short history of post-Civil War and election law "reforms" that effectively ended African Americans election to legislative positions until the 1970s.
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