Structurally, each documentary will highlight the lives of two Congressmen, Sen. Hiram Revels and Representative Robert Smalls. Their stories are exemplary of how all of these men overcame society’s low expectations to serve their country and embody democratic ideals.

Visually, the documentary will bring the 19th century into the viewers’ home. Actual photos of the congressmen, the landscape of their home states, their constituents (freedmen and former Confederates), and their participation at the Capitol will frame the program. Actual congressional speeches and a rich narrative will give it texture. Personal diary recitations and reflections from descendents will illustrate their origins, their political development and their legacies while interviews with leading historians and current Congresspeople will contemporarize their achievements.

After viewing CONGRESS IN COLOR, the audience will see the evolution of American politics in full color.

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