Congressman James Clyburn has spent more than three decades in Congress.

And in his new book, he turns his attention to the trailblazing black men who were the first to walk those halls.

Jeff Bennett recently sat down with the congressman to learn more.

They were the first eight black members of Congress elected during Reconst reconstruction when American democracy was being rebuilt

after the Civil War. Their presence was revolutionary. Their power was short-lived. And their

stories were nearly erased. In his new book, The First Eight, Clyburn restores their legacy

and draws a straight line from their struggle to today's fight over voting rights, representation, and democracy itself.

Congressman James Clyburn joins us. Now, thanks for being here.

Thank you very much for having me.

You say that when people would visit your office and see portraits of the first date on your conference room wall,

people were often surprised because they assumed that you were the first black South Carolinian elected to Congress.

Was that the catalyst for writing this book?

It was. And I had just finished my, or just released, my memoir.

And so one particular episode that led me to open a conversation with my staff.

And I said to them, my next book is going to be about those eight people.

And I started writing it just to inform about their existence and what happened,

doing their service.

And then the election of 2020 came.

And the aftermath of that election led me to start over and rewrite the book to me a little

more instructive rather than just informative.

Reconstruction to me is among the most fascinating chapters of American history.

For folks who were less familiar with that time period,

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