Download Civil Rights

African American Voting Rights :
The 15th Amendment
Reconstruction Era
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http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aavaahp.htm#banjo
th
15
Amendment
Elective Franchise - The rights of Citizens to vote in
public elections.

Article XV.
Section 1. 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—
Section 2. The
Congress shall have the power to
enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
The First Colored Senator and
Representatives, in the 41st and
42nd Congress of the United States.
Washington: Currier & Ives, 1872.
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart5b.html
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

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Dred Scott sued for his freedom when being
held against his will. He argued that since he
was a resident of two free states, that he was
indeed a free man.
Found to have no standing (NOT A CITIZEN)
Could not ban slavery in the territories.
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15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
African American’s Right to Vote
TOP: The photo of the doucment:
http://www.historicaldocuments.com/15thAmendmentlg.htm
LEFT: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_reconstruct.html
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http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Schomburg/text/migration9.html
Reconstruction Era

Reconstruction generally
refers to the period in U.S.
History immediately following
the Civil War (1865 – 1877)
Reconstruction, also known
as Radical Reconstruction.
During this time the South was
in political, social, and
economic turmoil, after the
Confederate states had
seceded. In response, the
Union attempted to regain
order in the Confederate
states.
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_32_00039.htm
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Voter Discrimination During Reconstruction
Grandfather Clause
http://www.historicaldocuments.com/15thAmendmentlg.htm
Literacy Test
Poll Taxes
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Intimidation and death
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After Reconstruction white
supremacist did everything
possible to prevent Blacks
from voting.
Soldiers had to protect black
men that voted
Copyright 1997 State Historical Society of Wisconsin
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http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/tools_voting.html
Jim Crow, Intimidation and Fear
Segregation
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/php/scribble.php?pic=3
White Supremacy
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Jim Crow Laws cont.
1877 Rutherford B. Hayes
 Rolls back all progress
 Beginning of Separate, but Equal
 Institution of Black Codes

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Plessy v. Ferguson

A young black man who was riding on a train up
north. When the train crossed the Mason Dixie
line, he was told by the train conductor to move to
the back of the train. He refused and was removed
from the train. He sued the train company under
the Equal Protection Clause.

Unfortunately, Plessy did not win.

The courts believe that as long as the facilities were
equal, people could have separate facilities based on
color. They ruled:
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