Answer:
Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African-American to serve in the United States Senate. He represented the state of the Mississippi from 1870 to 1871. So far, Revels has been one of the nine African Americans who have served in the Senate.
Revels, a moderate Republican, appeared as a vigorous advocate of racial equality.
He served on the Education and Labor Committee and the District of Columbia Committee. The attention of the Senate at the time was directed towards the reconstruction of the country. While radical Republicans advocated severe and continuing punishments for the former Confederates, Revels advocated full and unrestricted amnesty, giving them a vote of confidence.
Revels was praised by the press for his oratory skills. His conduct in the Senate, in addition to that of other African Americans elected to the House of Representatives, has led a white contemporary, James G. Blaine, to state, "The men of color who have taken office in both the Senate and the House of Representatives are scholars, ambitious, whose public conduct would honor any race. "
These professors were accused of being communist sympathizers. This resulted in their dismissal from the University of Washington. One of the biggest reasons why this was a big deal was due to the beginning of the Cold War and the start of the second Red Scare.
After World War II, the US and Soviet Union emerged as global superpower. As communism spread throughout Eastern Europe, US citizens were scared that this system would spread to the US. In order to prevent this from happening, institutions all over the country took action against supposed communists, including firing them from their jobs.
