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wood prints 15th amendment wood prints constitutional amendment wood prints constitutional right wood prints ratified wood prints black man wood prints black men wood prints politics wood prints political wood prints reconstruction wood prints voting wood prints ballot box wood prints former slave wood prints runaway slave wood prints male wood prints men wood prints

photographs 15th amendment photos constitutional amendment photos constitutional right photos ratified photos black man photos black men photos politics photos political photos reconstruction photos voting photos ballot box photos former slave photos runaway slave photos male photos men photos

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Etching entitled and captioned "First Black Vote. Though there would be still so many rivers to cross and mountains to climb, this was indeed a glorious, inspiring, landmark event. We can sense the many years this gray-haired man has waited for this moment to cast his ballot. In line are others, including a military man." Harper's Weekly, November 16, 1867. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that 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." Although ratified on February 3, 1870, the promise of the 15th Amendment would not be fully realized for almost a century. Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states were able to effectively disenfranchise African Americans. It would take the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African...