The Winter 2021 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage has an article entitled “Pennsylvania’s Ratification of the 15th Amendment” written by Richard C. Saylor. Saylor explains that the original Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 permitted tax-paying free Black men to vote.
In 1838 a new Pennsylvania Constitution was passed specifying that only white men could vote.
On March 26, 1869, Pennsylvania became the 12th state to ratify the 15th Amendment. It says “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.”
The legislature was split. Democrats opposed; Republicans favored. That was once the proud heritage of the Republican Party. At one time Republicans actually wanted people to vote.
Note: I was partly wrong about Greene and Cheney. Cheney was allowed to keep her position. Greene, however, was actually given a standing ovation by the Republicans. Today the Dems kicked her off all the House committees.
No comments:
Post a Comment