Quote:
Originally Posted by manaboutown
There were free black people living in the United States, including Southern states, prior to the Civil War. In fact the American Revolution for which we celebrate Independence Day freed blacks, Amerindians and whites from British rule.
The Civil War ended slavery in the South but not all blacks living in the South were slaves.
The Free Black Population | African American History and Culture |
"Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in which the Court held that the US Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, and so the rights and privileges that the Constitution confers upon American citizens could not apply to them."
Sure, there were some free blacks, but they couldn't be citizens, and in the south, they were only counted as 3/5ths of a human being for Representation purposes, giving the south more power.
I believe government can only exist, morally, if all people can vote, since people give government the right to exist. It's a shame they never made Susan B Anthony a national holiday, although Florida recognizes it as one.