Name one way that newly freed slaves were represented in the federal government.

One significant way that newly freed slaves were represented in the federal government after the Civil War was through the election of African American men to political office. The most notable example of this is the election of African American men to the United States Congress. During Reconstruction, a period following the Civil War, several amendments to the United States Constitution were passed to promote civil rights and suffrage for former slaves. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves, and promised equal protection under the law, while the 15th Amendment prohibited denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

As a result, African American men were elected to local, state, and federal positions. For example, Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress, representing Mississippi in the Senate in 1870. During Reconstruction, a total of sixteen African American men served in Congress with several more serving in state legislatures and holding other political offices.