The Fifteenth Amendment
One attempt of the reconstruction was to give African Americans the rights they deserved. The 15th Amendment, was an attempt to give African American men (note: not women) the right to vote. This amendment was very debatable during that time, since “Some supporters argued that suffrage was a natural right, while others contended it was only a political privilege” (1). Nevertheless, it was passed on February 3, 1870. While the 14th Amendment gave African Americans citizenship to the United States, the 15th Amendment declared that it could not deny a citizen’s right to vote on account of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”. Although this was intended to increase the freedom and rights of African Americans, it turned out to be a giant failure.”State and local enforcement of the law was weak and it often was ignored outright, mainly in the South and in areas where the proportion of blacks in the population was high and their vote threatened the political status quo” (2).
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Georgia started poll taxes, and later on, most Southern states followed suit. Even the small amount of a few dollars was a lot to African Americans, who had just gotten out of slavery in 1865, and rarely dealt with cash money. The Supreme Court ruled this tax as constitutional, stating that the taxes collected revenue and were not an attempt to suppress the black vote. Despite these claims, the tax probably reduced black voter turnout by around fifty percent.
In addition to poll taxes, literacy tests were also enacted. At first, ballots for governor put in the wrong box were thrown out. So if someone put a vote for senator in the box for governor, that vote would not be counted. Whites would shuffle around ballot boxes so the illiterate wouldn’t know which box was the right one, therefore, many of the black votes were thrown out. Later on, literacy tests were used. If you couldn’t pass the test, you weren’t allowed to vote. This made a large impact on the black community, since over fifty percent were illiterate. This also began to be a problem for some whites that couldn’t pass these test, so the “grandfather clause” was devised. It stated that if your grandfather or father was a registered voter, then you could automatically vote, regardless if you couldn’t pay the poll tax or pass the literacy test.
In addition, white people also used a lot of violence and intimidation to suppress black people voting. “The Enforcement Acts were passed by Congress in 1870 to authorize federal prosecution of the KKK and others who violated the amendment. However, as Reconstruction neared its end and federal troops withdrew, prosecutions under the Enforcement Acts dropped significantly” (3). For example, about one hundred African Americans were murdered by a band of whites for trying to protect their right to vote. Only three of those people were indicted.The lack of prosecution made it easier for white people to use violence to subdue the black vote. This also made it harder for African Americans to vote, because they would have so much chaos thrown at them, just for attempting to write on a ballot.
In addition to poll taxes, literacy tests were also enacted. At first, ballots for governor put in the wrong box were thrown out. So if someone put a vote for senator in the box for governor, that vote would not be counted. Whites would shuffle around ballot boxes so the illiterate wouldn’t know which box was the right one, therefore, many of the black votes were thrown out. Later on, literacy tests were used. If you couldn’t pass the test, you weren’t allowed to vote. This made a large impact on the black community, since over fifty percent were illiterate. This also began to be a problem for some whites that couldn’t pass these test, so the “grandfather clause” was devised. It stated that if your grandfather or father was a registered voter, then you could automatically vote, regardless if you couldn’t pay the poll tax or pass the literacy test.
In addition, white people also used a lot of violence and intimidation to suppress black people voting. “The Enforcement Acts were passed by Congress in 1870 to authorize federal prosecution of the KKK and others who violated the amendment. However, as Reconstruction neared its end and federal troops withdrew, prosecutions under the Enforcement Acts dropped significantly” (3). For example, about one hundred African Americans were murdered by a band of whites for trying to protect their right to vote. Only three of those people were indicted.The lack of prosecution made it easier for white people to use violence to subdue the black vote. This also made it harder for African Americans to vote, because they would have so much chaos thrown at them, just for attempting to write on a ballot.
In The Canton Times, you can see the views of some whites about the 15th amendment. The article talks about how we need not kill every African American that walks around the streets, but that they should merely kill off the bad ones and leave the rest to serve the white man. “None but white men should rule the country. It is best for all concerned for the white man will never surrender his right of control if it brings blood to maintain it. The doctrine of the Declaration of Independence that "all men were born free and equal” applied to the white population at that time,and was never expected to include dark races” (4). Here, you can see how blinded by ignorance these people were. They were so full of hate they were willing to enact all types of systems to suppress a different race. These ideologies hindered the United States’ population to grow as a society. Rather than try to bring black people up from the lows they suffered due to white animosity, they continued to act with resentment.
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In conclusion, the 15th amendment didn’t work too well to give African Americans the freedom they deserved. Due to poll taxes, literacy tests, violence, and this ideology that the white race was supreme hindered the goals the reconstruction aimed to achieve. It was an attempt to empower a race that had been disenfranchised for so long, but it was undermined by hostility and hatred. However, although it did not work, it was somewhat a step in the right direction. Failures are only steps towards improvement, and even over one hundred years later, we are still working on bettering our society.
Sources:
- Gillette, William. "The Knot of Reconstruction." In The Right to Vote, 181. Baltimore: John Hopkins Press, 1965.
- "History.com." History.com. Accessed February 23, 2015. http://www.history.com/ topics/black-history/fifteenth-amendment.
- Accessed February 23, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitut-ion.