Ideas and Occurances that Influenced the Fifteenth Amendment
After the Civil War, Radical Republicans proposed many laws and amendments to guarantee African American’s rights. Radical Republicans were scared of losing control in Congress. A resolution to this was making the black male suffrage in the north possible. They figured that African Americans would vote for their party if they did this, therefore, helping them to maintain power in Congress. Interestingly, people in the north did not approve of black male suffrage. When Ulysses S. Grant became President in 1868, the Republicans realized that if they wished to stay in power they required the votes of blacks too.
Abolitionists like Frederick Douglas argued that if African Americans could pay federal taxes and fight for the government, then they should be able to have a say in politics. As In 1869, Congress was still arguing about the Fourteenth Amendment in. In the meantime, 150 African Americans from 17 states gathered for a meeting in Washington D.C. It was the first official congregation of African Americans. Douglas was elected President. Members spent time trying to persuade Congress to pass the Fifteenth Amendment. This meeting gave confidence to African Americans nationwide.
Democrats realized they would have serious competition due to the Republicans goal to receive the votes of blacks. Democrats argued that the Fifteenth Amendment limited states' rights to run their own elections, and that states themselves were not able to determine if they could allow African American suffrage, specifically males. Democrats turned to lying and bribery to gain black support.