Genealogy and History Fan

As the Civil War came to an end, it was important to take the accomplishments that had been made and transition them into the law of the land. This needed to be done before any ground was lost, and as reconstruction returned the nation to one country rather than two warring parties. The upheaval of society that the abolition of slavery represented and the massive surge forward for black history was so important that it had to be made permanent with amendments to the constitution.

The work to change a nation from one of slavery to one of equality started with three important amendments to the constitution. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery forever and the fourteenth amendment reversed the negative effects of the Dred Scott decision providing equal protection under the law for all citizens of this country regardless of race, color or creed.

Next came the fifteenth amendment which went further than just establishing the basic human rights of the African American community. It made a change so fundamental to how America works that its ramifications were sweeping and far reaching down to this day. The text of the amendment is direct and elegant…

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.This was a tremendous leap forward for the black community when this amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870. It finally meant that the African American population in this country could stand up and be counted and start making a mark on politics.But like so many other great advances in black history, earning the right to vote didn’t automatically make it easy to vote. There was staunch resistance to actually allowing blacks to go to the polling booth in many communities across the country. The Klu Klux Klan engaged in intimidation tactics to try to keep African Americans home from the polls. In Louisiana, the mob attempts to stop the institutions of a legally elected and integrated local government had to be broken up by federal troops sent in by Ulysses S. Grant.

Probably the most serious threat to the actual workability of the fifteenth amendment was the introduction of the poll tax and other registration tricks that were used such as literacy tests and voter qualification tests. This practice became such a problem that it instigated the passage of the twenty fourth amendment which outlawed poll taxes which were only designed to usurp the rights of African Americans to vote.

But these desperate attempts could not stop the march of justice and democracy to assure that voting rights were available to all Americans. Before long blacks were occupying positions of influence and decision making in state legislatures and at the federal level. It’s been a long struggle but even in the last few decades we have seen positions of high honor and influence held by African Americans such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. And if Barack Obama wins the democratic nomination, that will be yet another break through for a proud man and a proud people.

“If liberty and equality are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be attained when all persons share in government to the utmost.”

Aristotle (384-323 B.C.)

May we all exercise our right to vote so we can all be a part of the governing process. But we should also care enough to learn about the candidates and issues and vote for who we think would be the best for our country.

“Every voter ought not merely to vote, but to vote under the inspiration of the high purpose to serve a nation.”

Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)