{"id":363816,"date":"2026-08-02T16:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T16:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/a-personal-history-of-the-pioneering-black-congressmen-who-shaped-a-nation-by-jim-clyburn-the-ninth\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T16:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T16:13:24","slug":"a-personal-history-of-the-pioneering-black-congressmen-who-shaped-a-nation-by-jim-clyburn-the-ninth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816","title":{"rendered":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0Notes from <\/span>The First Eight<\/span>: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation<\/span> by Jim Clyburn, the Ninth. <\/span><\/span>2025<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

This book <\/span>isn\u2019t<\/span> <\/span>so much a biography of the <\/span>f<\/span>irst <\/span>e<\/span>ight <\/span>Black <\/span>US <\/span>representatives from South Carolina, <\/span>but a historical record<\/span> of<\/span> the state <\/span>of South<\/span> <\/span>Carolina <\/span>pretty<\/span> much from<\/span> the Civil War through Reconstruction<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Representative Clyburn intersperses experiences from his own life<\/span>, as the ninth Black representative from South Carolina<\/span> throughout the narrative<\/span>, <\/span>almost a<\/span> century had passed between the first eight<\/span> <\/span>congressmen<\/span> from 1870 through the 1890s, and the election of Representative Clyburn in 19<\/span>92.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Twelve of us met on Saturday June 27<\/span>th<\/span><\/span> for our discussion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Barb<\/span> started us out with, \u201c<\/span>I was really struck by Clyburn\u2019s early introduction. What is going on now is so resonant <\/span>to<\/span> him. I wish I <\/span>had known about the profiles of the first eight. It was easy to get confused between their stories.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Robin<\/span> gave <\/span>us, \u201c<\/span>I <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> find it an easy book to read. I <\/span>couldn\u2019t<\/span> tell what made me so angry: the post-reconstruction or <\/span>what\u2019s<\/span> going on now. <\/span>I learned a ton and <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> really infuriating to see how history is repeating itself.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Maria<\/span> said, \u201c<\/span>I found it a slog. I <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> like history as a kid because it was all a matter of remembering dates, and this is entirely too much like that.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Millie<\/span> commented, \u201c<\/span>Well,<\/span> this is my first time <\/span>here,<\/span> and it was hard for me to get <\/span>through<\/span> the book. I finished it 15 minutes ago. I learned so much<\/span>. Two days <\/span>ago,<\/span> I looked at Howard Zinn\u2019s book to see if any of these eight guys were in it. Not <\/span>one<\/span> was in it. This verifies what <\/span>Representative Clyburn was <\/span>saying;<\/span> they (the first eight) were erased. Howard Zinn would have loved writing about these <\/span>men,<\/span> but they <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> catch his eye because they <\/span>were<\/span>n\u2019t<\/span> taught about in History.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Shelara<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>who<\/span> is extremely well read, said \u201c<\/span>t<\/span> was <\/span>a relatively easy<\/span> read. It was a rehashing of things I already knew.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Kay: There is so much detail <\/span>in this book t<\/span>hat I had to be selective. <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> glad that <\/span>Representative Clyburn <\/span>wrote<\/span> the <\/span>book,<\/span> and you can tell the pride that he has <\/span>in<\/span> his home state of South Carolina. <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> thinking about the recent Supreme <\/span>Court decision that will affect voting <\/span>now. I<\/span> enjoyed the story about Rober<\/span>t<\/span> Smalls especially. Then <\/span>Clyburn<\/span> mentioned the <\/span>movie,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>G<\/span>lory<\/span><\/span>. I plan to check out the DVD and have another look at it this weekend. <\/span>Clyburn also<\/span> mentioned that Memorial Day was started by emancipated Blacks in Charleston. My fat<\/span>her was born in <\/span>South Carolina,<\/span> and I have <\/span>a first<\/span> cousin who lives there now. When I visited nine years ago, this cousin took me to a reenactment of one o<\/span>f the battles of the Civil War. <\/span>It took place on a plantation, and <\/span>I had a chance to see the slave <\/span>quarters<\/span> and the master\u2019s house.<\/span> People who <\/span>weren\u2019t<\/span> even part of the reenactment <\/span>joined in by wearing the <\/span>c<\/span>lothes of <\/span>that period.<\/span> Another connection to me was Bermuda. <\/span>Joseph Hayne Rainey<\/span>, the first Black person to serve in the US House of <\/span>Representatives, set<\/span> up a barber shop in Bermuda <\/span>after he escaped there after being conscripted to work for the <\/span>Confederacy<\/span> during the Civil War.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>P. 79<\/span> <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Bermudans regarded him so highly that the street where his St. George shop was <\/span>located<\/span> was later named Barber\u2019s Alley in his honor…<\/span>Rainey\u2019s <\/span>success<\/span> in business also contributed to his success in politics. After the Civil War ended, he moved back to <\/span>Georgetown, SC<\/span>, and his wealth and experiences made him a <\/span>prominent<\/span> player in <\/span>Republican<\/span> politics, <\/span>ultimately leading<\/span> to his historic election to C<\/span>ongress.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Kay continued, \u201cThere was just so much I learned from reading this book, there was the epita<\/span>p<\/span>h Representative Clyburn wants on his tombstone: <\/span>\u201cHe did his best to make the greatnes<\/span>s<\/span> of America accessible and affordable for all.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Nancy: <\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span> taken a bunch of history classes in the last couple of <\/span>years,<\/span> so I really enjoyed this book. When I was growing u<\/span>p the only thing I ever heard about Reconstruction was the word \u201ccarpetbaggers.\u201d What <\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span> learned about <\/span>reconstruction<\/span> in the past couple of years<\/span> is that it was just this little window of time. I think one of the things that really struc<\/span>k me is <\/span>that in<\/span> the history of our country <\/span>and <\/span>the laws that governed <\/span>our<\/span> country at times had been horrible<\/span>. And then there were all these times that we managed to get the laws <\/span>improved,<\/span> and people just <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> obey them, and nothing happens. <\/span>This has been one of the most upsetting things: people who have been empowered to run this country flagrantly refuse to enforce the law. Bu<\/span>t I was very struck by something he said on page 234, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> in the Epilogue<\/span>: \u201c<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201c<\/span>Over the past several years I have often been asked, \u2018Have you ever seen <\/span>divisiveness<\/span> like this <\/span>before<\/span>?\u2019 My answer is always the same: <\/span>\u2018<\/span>No, none of us <\/span>have<\/span>.<\/span> But <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> not because the country has never been divided like <\/span>this<\/span> before. <\/span>It\u2019s<\/span> because none of us was around during the 1860s <\/span>and 1870s.\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So,<\/span> when I think about that, you can look at it from a really hopeless and despairing kind of way, or you can look at it with this little shred or glimmer of some kind of hope<\/span>, <\/span>that <\/span>somehow,<\/span> we\u2019re still here and not everybody is brutalized daily in some kind of way. I <\/span>just really wrestle with that. <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> confused <\/span>by <\/span>the use<\/span> of<\/span> the <\/span>words<\/span> \u2018redemption<\/span>\u2019<\/span> and<\/span> <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Redeemer Democrats.<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Marian answered, <\/span>“<\/span>t<\/span> <\/span>refe<\/span>rs <\/span>to people wanting to \u201credeem\u201d the antebellum <\/span>period;<\/span> <\/span>they<\/span> want to redeem that time<\/span>.<\/span> T<\/span>o redeem means to \u2018buy back.\u2019 They want to redeem the time and the lifestyle that they lost.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Shelara <\/span>said, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>T<\/span>hey\u2019re<\/span> redeeming the glory of the South. <\/span>I <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> think he should have used it in this book. <\/span>They used it for <\/span>themselves,<\/span> but I think he could have used another term.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Nancy<\/span>, still confused, countered, \u201c<\/span>I thought redeeming implied making something better.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Shelara<\/span> <\/span>answered<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>\u201c<\/span>T<\/span>hey<\/span> think <\/span>t<\/span>hey\u2019re<\/span> making it better by <\/span>going back. According to their mythology of the <\/span>South,<\/span> they made this glorious society of Lords and Ladies, of course this had no basis in reality, <\/span>but <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span> what they were <\/span>fighting<\/span> for and they lost. <\/span>So,<\/span> for them, because they <\/span>weren\u2019t<\/span> dealt with (because this country refused to <\/span>punish them) their idea <\/span>is<\/span> <\/span>\u2018<\/span>we are still fighting.<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Nancy<\/span> <\/span>continued, “The<\/span> other thing that <\/span>i<\/span> found <\/span>really interesting<\/span> in this book that I <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> know was about HBCUs. I never really understood the origins of those <\/span>schools,<\/span> and <\/span>I assumed that they were all <\/span>private,<\/span> and I <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> know anything about the <\/span>Morrill<\/span> Act: the first one and the second <\/span>one,<\/span> and I <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> know anything about land grants.<\/span> I <\/span>didn’t<\/span> know that any HBCUs were land grants. In some ways, the public HBCUs were part of \u201cseparate but equal.<\/span>\u201d On the one hand, <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span> great and on the other hand <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> <\/span>totally racist<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

p.213 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln had signed into law the first of two (p.214) la<\/span>nd grant for education laws authored by Representative Justin Morrill of Vermont. The <\/span>first Morrill Act authorized the sale of federal land to fund the creation of colleges to \u2018<\/span>benefit the agricultural and mechanical arts.<\/span>\u2019<\/span> When Thomas G. Glemson, the son-in-law of the ardent defender of slavery John <\/span>C. Calhoun, died in 1888, he left eighty thousand dollars for the stat<\/span>e<\/span> to start a whites-only agricultural college on his estate in O<\/span>conee County. Tillman, then the governor of South Carolina, took this opportunity to <\/span>designate<\/span> Clemson <\/span>College, now<\/span> <\/span>Clemson University, as a federal land grant college under the first Morrill Act. The school\u2019s <\/span>white<\/span>-only charter incensed Morrill, who had become a senator, to <\/span>author<\/span> a second law<\/span>…this led to what are now called the 1890 land grant colleges, nineteen HBCUs in the S<\/span>outh <\/span>were<\/span> <\/span>created to comply with the \u2018separate but equal\u2019 requirement.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Shelara<\/span> shared that, \u201c<\/span>New Haven would have been the site of the first HBCU. But there was always talk because there were issues about Black people attending integrat<\/span>ed schools. The lady in <\/span>Canterbury<\/span> <\/span>CT, Prudence Crandall, <\/span>opened her <\/span>integrated school for girls and women<\/span> <\/span>in 1832<\/span>, <\/span>and they burned it down.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Nancy <\/span>also <\/span>added,<\/span> \u201cI found it <\/span>helpful in<\/span> the way he draws a distinction between equality and equity. <\/span>I think that\u2019s a really important distinction.<\/span> I think <\/span>when people <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> <\/span>understand<\/span> the distinction between equality and equity, <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span> where we get the foundation of this country being so racist. The fact that th<\/span>e groundwater is not the same, this is where it gets so lost.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

p.233 \u201cthe Eight never sought special treatment; and while they used the phrase often, they never sought <\/span>equal <\/span>treatment. Thou<\/span>gh they spent their lives fighting to enshrine the <\/span>rights of <\/span>African Americans<\/span>, they also <\/span>recognized<\/span>, <\/span>time and time again<\/span>, that they stood in <\/span><\/span>contrast <\/span>to those who were previously their en<\/span>slavers. They did not enjoy the benefit of <\/span>generational<\/span> wealth or education from the finest schools, i<\/span>f<\/span> at all. And what little wealth (p.234) and limited free<\/span>doms they had were subjected to whimsical actions and arbitrary rules.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Their arguments were always <\/span>a<\/span>bout equity, being treated according to their needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Bonnie<\/span> gave\u00a0us, “Everything<\/span>\u00a0people have said about \u2018the more things change, the more they stay the same\u2019 always jumps out at me<\/span>. On page 94, Congressman Clyburn said, \u2018the more things change, the more they stay the same.\u2019 Being somewhat of a news junkie, <\/span>I would relate to a lot of the things we read<\/span> to <\/span>what\u2019s<\/span> going on today.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

p.146 \u201cOn April 3, 1977, President Hayes gave the order to withdraw federal troops from the statehouse in Columbia<\/span> \u2013 a decision that would seal the political fate of Blacks in South Carolina for a century.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In 2013 Chief Justice Roberts struck the <\/span>federal oversight from the Voting Rights <\/span>Act,<\/span> and I rememb<\/span>er <\/span>churches having buses <\/span>come,<\/span> and they were called \u2018Souls to the Polls,\u2019 and they would take the people to voting sites. The minute <\/span>Justice Roberts took away the federal oversights, no more \u2018Souls to the Polls.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

On p. 234, Congressman Clyburn <\/span>wrote, \u201cThere are frightening similarities between the Reconstruction and Post-Reconstruction eras and the events we are e<\/span>xperiencing today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

With the Voting Rights Act<\/span> of 1965, <\/span>which they are now eviscerating, Black voter turnout increased to 60 percent, up from 6 percent. One thin<\/span>g that drove me crazy was that<\/span> during Reconstruction<\/span>,<\/span> the Republicans were the good guys.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In <\/span>Beaufort<\/span> County<\/span>, SC,<\/span> there was a hurricane<\/span> in 1893<\/span>. Many people were left homeless.<\/span> Black<\/span> communities were more severely <\/span>impacted<\/span>. Governor Tillman <\/span>refused to <\/span>send<\/span> aid. It reminds me of <\/span>New Orleans\u2019 <\/span>Hurricane Katrina<\/span> in <\/span>2005.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Blacks were <\/span>accused of government <\/span>corruption,<\/span> but they were only in <\/span>power for<\/span> eight years. <\/span>Clyburn wrote, <\/span>\u2018<\/span>In short, we had reconstructed the state and placed it on the road to prosperity<\/span>.<\/span>\u2019\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0This reminds me of <\/span>today in <\/span>Springfield OH with the <\/span>Haitians<\/span>. They completely resurrected that city, and now <\/span>the president wants to throw them out.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

Barbara M. said ,”<\/span>I like the way he writes. One of the things that stuck out to me was that people who became these notables <\/span>were sometimes people of good faith and good character <\/span>and at<\/span> other times, they were just opportunists. I focused on the caste system that had been set up and that we still carry <\/span>today,<\/span> and <\/span>I see a difference between history repeating itsel<\/span>f and what we have now is that<\/span>, because of our improved <\/span>communication and technology<\/span>, we\u2019re more headed toward destroying ourselves than repeating history.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Millie<\/span> offered, \u201c<\/span>I really appreciate this <\/span>book;<\/span> I learned so much<\/span>. And although <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> not a piece of cake at all, it still gave me glimmers of <\/span>hope,<\/span> and I saw it as a call to hope for each of us to be active. <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> an ex Catholic nun<\/span>. <\/span>I was a nun for eight years<\/span>. Because of my <\/span>bad experience<\/span> with the Catholic church, I had turned against <\/span>almost all<\/span> religion<\/span>. This book <\/span>helped me understand the importance of faith. <\/span>He <\/span>gave me<\/span> more respect for faith.<\/span> He helped me realize the anchoring power of faith when you <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> have anything else<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Notes from The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn, the Ninth. 2025.\u00a0 \u00a0 This book isn\u2019t so much a biography of the first eight Black US representatives from South Carolina, but a historical record of the state of South Carolina pretty much from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152234,115648,185055,112914,99363,137448,185056,185057,114688,185058],"tags":[393,185060,185059,3734,25956,20171,69853,1140,37015,411],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-363816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-american-history","category-black-authors","category-black-books","category-black-history","category-book-club","category-book-discussion","category-jim-clyburn","category-reconstruction","category-south-carolina","category-the-first-eight","tag-black","tag-clyburn","tag-congressmen","tag-history","tag-jim","tag-nation","tag-ninth","tag-personal","tag-pioneering","tag-shaped"],"yoast_head":"\nA Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0Notes from The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn, the Ninth. 2025.\u00a0 \u00a0 This book isn\u2019t so much a biography of the first eight Black US representatives from South Carolina, but a historical record of the state of South Carolina pretty much from the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"258\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\"},\"wordCount\":2134,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"BLACK\",\"Clyburn\",\"Congressmen\",\"history\",\"Jim\",\"Nation\",\"Ninth\",\"Personal\",\"Pioneering\",\"Shaped\"],\"articleSection\":[\"African American history\",\"Black Authors\",\"Black Books\",\"BLACK HISTORY\",\"Book Club\",\"Book Discussion\",\"Jim Clyburn\",\"Reconstruction\",\"South Carolina\",\"The First Eight\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\",\"name\":\"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg\",\"width\":258,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network","og_description":"\u00a0Notes from The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn, the Ninth. 2025.\u00a0 \u00a0 This book isn\u2019t so much a biography of the first eight Black US representatives from South Carolina, but a historical record of the state of South Carolina pretty much from the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":258,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth","datePublished":"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816"},"wordCount":2134,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg","keywords":["BLACK","Clyburn","Congressmen","history","Jim","Nation","Ninth","Personal","Pioneering","Shaped"],"articleSection":["African American history","Black Authors","Black Books","BLACK HISTORY","Book Club","Book Discussion","Jim Clyburn","Reconstruction","South Carolina","The First Eight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816","name":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-02T16:13:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The20First20Eight20book20cover.jpg","width":258,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=363816#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn the Ninth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=363816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/363817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=363816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=363816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=363816"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=363816"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=363816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}