Your Source for African American History
Saturday
May 17th 2008 		a non-profit education organization
February 3

Blacks organizing to vote (image)
*On this date in 1870 the 15th amendment was ratified. Republicans wanted the 15th Amendment passed to obtain the vote of the freed slaves.

The 15th Amendment ensures the right to vote to all male citizens of the United States, regardless of color or previous condition of servitude. The 15th Amendment opened the door for the elections of African-Americans to the US Congress and to Southern local and state offices. New Southern governments began collecting taxes for local public schools.

Many women suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had worked alongside Black suffragists like Frederick Douglass to gain suffrage for both groups. But when the 15th Amendment passed, it angered many women suffragists terribly, and some of them even spoke out against Black suffrage. In all fairness, there were many educated women who were without doubt more qualified to vote than some Blacks who had just found their freedom and their education, but women would have to wait until 1920 to get the vote.

Reference:
Historic U.S. Cases 1690-1993:
An Encyclopedia New York
Copyright 1992 Garland Publishing, New York
ISBN 0-8240-4430-4

The World Book Encyclopedia.
Copyright 1996, World Book, Inc.
ISBN 0-7166-0096-X
 

    

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