Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Research Paper Example The way in which this peril was met builds the basis of current admiration for the struggle of Black vote—a struggle fuelled by the sacrifice of those who were murdered, beaten, or injured by a white supremacist attitude. This research paper discusses the history of the Black vote in the United States. The Black Struggle for Voting Rights Recognition that Blacks already voted prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was presented in the famed Dred Scott resolution in 1856 wherein a Supreme Court dominated by Democrats stated that Blacks â€Å"had no rights which a white man was bound to respect; and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit† (Jaffa 286). Justice Benjamin Curtis, the only non-democrat, opposed that statement and showed a long documentary history to prove that numerous Blacks in the U.S. had frequently practiced citizens’ rights—that numerous Blacks during the American Revolution â€Å"possessed the franch ise of [voters] on equal terms with other citizens† (Muhammad 17). States that guaranteed and safeguarded the rights of Blacks to vote in the 18th century were New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, and Delaware. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts also guaranteed the Blacks’ right to vote in their constitution. Indeed, a Black Republican, Robert Brown Elliott, asked in 1874 (Middleton 109): â€Å"When did Massachusetts sully her proud record by placing on her statute-book any law which admitted to the ballot the white man and shut out the black man? She has never done it; she will not do it.† Because of such legislations, early American cities had a larger number of Black voters than Whites; and when the suggested American Constitution was presented to the people in the latter part of the 18th century, it was approved by both White and Black voters in several states (Barton para 4). However, this is not to suggest that every Black was granted voting rights; free Blacks, excluding those in South Carolina, were allowed to vote but slaves were prohibited to exercise voting rights. But in several states this was insignificant, because many individuals and groups persevered to abolish slavery during the American Revolution (Fauntroy 62). Even though Britain had disallowed the eradication of slavery in the colonies prior to the Revolution, as autonomous states they had the power to abolish slavery, just like what happened in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. In addition, Blacks in numerous states were not only granted voting rights but also rights to participate in public affairs (Barton para 5). In Alabama, 99 Blacks were voted for the State Legislature, 127 Blacks for Louisiana’s Legislature, 50 Blacks for South Carolina’s, and 42 for Texas Legislature (Barton para 15). These Republican governing bodies acted immediately to guarantee and safeguard the right to vote for Blacks, ba n segregation, and grant Blacks access to juries, law enforcement, public transportation, and so on. At a time when majority of southern Democrats had not yet approved the vow of fidelity to the U.S. and thus were not allowed to vote, they still tried to threaten and get in the way of the endorsement of Blacks’