Alfred Waud. 1867. "African Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper's magazine." Engraving. http://objectofhistory.org/objects/extendedtour/votingmachine/?order=2.
Embedded Files
The 15th Amendment: Granting African American Men the Right to Vote
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, one of three amendments passed during the era of Reconstruction, granted African American men the right to vote. This important amendment stemmed from a requirement in the Military Reconstruction Act, which was approved by Congress on March 2, 1867. This Act mandated that Confederate states, as a condition for readmission into the Union, extend the right to vote to former adult enslaved males.
Following the passage of the Military Reconstruction Act, Congress pursued more definitive measures to protect the voting rights of African American men. In 1869, a constitutional amendment was proposed and ultimately ratified in 1870 as the 15th Amendment. However, the amendment faced opposition from women's rights activists who pointed out that it continued to withhold voting rights based on gender. It would be another fifty years before the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote.
In response to the extension of voting rights to African American males, several southern states introduced discriminatory practices such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses. These measures were implemented to obstruct African Americans from voting, with grandfather clauses specifically exempting white individuals from literacy tests and poll taxes required for voting.
The journey towards securing equal voting rights for all individuals, regardless of race or gender, has been marked by significant milestones such as the 15th Amendment. While progress has been made over the years, challenges and barriers to voting rights continued to persist, highlighting the importance of ongoing efforts to protect and expand access to the fundamental right to vote.
This is the first page of the informational text about the 15th Amendment. If you would like to receive the full three-page text, please let me know.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse