Enfranchisement empowered African Americans: More than two thousand southern freedmen won elective office in the 1870s, including fourteen congressmen and two U.S. senators. At one point, more than 40 percent of legislators in Louisiana's and South Carolina's lower houses were black. And because African Americans voted overwhelmingly Republican, black enfranchisement invigorated Republican and other challengers to the once-dominant Democrats.
Enfranchisement significantly strengthened African American political participation in the 1870s, with over two thousand freedmen holding elective positions. This included the election of fourteen congressmen and two U.S. senators, reflecting a notable shift in political power in the southern states. In states like Louisiana and South Carolina, black legislators constituted more than 40 percent of the lower house, illustrating their substantial influence in government.
The increased political engagement of African Americans, who largely supported the Republican Party, revitalized political challenges against the historically dominant Democratic Party. This shift not only transformed the political landscape but also showcased the power of voting rights in empowering marginalized communities, as articulated in Levitsky's "How Democracies Die."
