SC POLI 201 - Civil Rights of African American (4 pages)

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Civil Rights of African American African Americans faced two major obstacles in securing rights The Constitution Reserves authority to the states voter eligibility Separation of powers difficult to strike against intrastate tyranny Politics based on self interest Politics of Black Civil Rights Height of Slavery 1808 1865 Late 1807 Congress passed a law ending the importation of slaves Southern representatives in Congress didn t contest Over next decade slavery remained side issue since South had veto over national policy due to regional balance in Senate But regional balance requires matching state entry into Union Missouri Compromise 1820 Missouri petitioned Congress for admission as a slave state Congress matched with entrance of Maine as free state North starts to realize its interest in eradication of slavery Wilmot Proviso Proposed banning slavery in recently acquired territories Slavery depressed wages for free white worker Introduced twice in House and passed both times but failed in evenly divided Senate Missouri Compromise of 1850 South complaining of unreturned runaway slaves North disgusted slave auctions California petition for admission as free state which threatened south veto power Dred Scott VS Sanford Supreme court 7 2 determined national government cannot prevent slavery in the territories Lower courts attempted to extend decision to rule that state laws banning slavery was unconstitutional Whole nation would be open to slaveholding Republican Abraham Lincoln wins 1860 presidential election Free soil Free Labor free men slogan Republican antislavery control of House and narrow majority in senate civil War 1861 south seceded first in 1860 with 10 more by 1861 First shots fired in April 12 1861 off Fort Sumter in Charleston Civil War Amendments 13th amendent formal emancipation of blacks 1865 14th granted citizenship 1868 15th guaranteed the right to vote 1870 Caused issues for literacy Rights Lost Republicans dominated Southern legislatures for few