Primary Sources
Expand for discussion questions.
How did Section 2 of the 14th Amendment attempt to secure voting rights for African American men? Why, do you think, they took such a complex approach? Why, do you suppose, it has never been enforced?
Rather than providing a positive assertion of Black male voting rights, the 15th Amendment identifies categories - "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" - that cannot be used to deny someone the right to vote. Why might its authors have taken this approach? How might this limit the power of the amendment?
Who are the individuals presented in the image? Why are they included?
What other rights does the image argue the 15th Amendment will support?
Why did the creator of the image link the political act of voting to seemingly private acts like religion, marriage, and family life?
Identify the requirements to vote in Section 241 of Article 12. How might you categorize them? What limits did they place on the electorate?
Which voters might the requirement that taxes be paid for two years in order to vote affect the most?
Which voters might be affected most by the Article's residency requirements?
The Article created a $2 poll tax on every male inhabitant of the state (with some exceptions), but did not make nonpayment a criminal offense. Why write the law in such a fashion? Why is it included in the Article dedicated to voting rights?
How might the literacy requirement of Section 244 be used in a discriminatory fashion?
How did the men quoted in the article describe what they saw as the benefits of the white primary?
Whose opinions are not presented in the article?
Why might the Pensacola Journal print an article supportive of the white primary?
How do the authors describe living conditions for African Americans? What problems do they face?
How do they answer those who say that they are unprepared to handle the responsibilities of voting?
According to the authors, why is the right to vote important?
Secondary Readings