In 1865, the war has just ended and the United States started to move into what was known as the Reconstruction Period. The reconstruction time period was a period that made many attempts to confront the issues of equality within the United States and to reunite the 11 states which had succeeded from the Union. After President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, Andrew Johnson become president. Johnson allowed new state governments to be created. The former succeeded states were not allowed to succeed and continue the practice of slavery but they were allowed to handle their own affairs. This led to Black Codes. Lyman Trumbull was the one who initially introduced the Civil Rights Act. Published on April 9th, 1866, this act protected all persons in the United States and their civil rights and furnish the means of their vindication. This act guaranteed basic economic rights to create contracts, sue, inherit, purchase, lease, sell or own property. It also guaranteed citizens the right to engage in business and give evidence in court. The act also sought to overrule Black Codes. As stated by the act, all persons born in the United States (with the exception of American Indians) we hereby declare to be citizens of the United States and that such citizens of every race and color should have the same right as is enjoyed by white citizens. This gave citizenship a proper definition and with this, denying any person the right to citizenship because of their race became an act of racial discrimination which was illegal. Unfortunately, Andrew Johnson was not in favor of this act. He stated, “I regret that the bill which has passed both houses of Congress, entitled “An act to protect all persons in the United States and their civil rights, and furnish the means of their vindication,” contains provisions which I cannot approve consistently with my sense of duty to the whole people, and my obligations to the constitution of the United States. I am, therefore, constrained to return it to the Senate (the house in which it originated) with my objections to us becoming law.” Although he vetoed the act, congress was able to overturn it by having a 2/3rds majority and the act became official. This veto then led to him being impeached due to the imposing views between him and radical Republicans. Overall, The Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens, "without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude.”
Sometimes called “The Enforcement Act,” the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was a United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The bill was passed by the 43rd United States Congress and signed into law by United States President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1875. The act was designed to "protect all citizens in their civil and legal rights", providing for equal treatment in public accommodations and public transportation and prohibiting exclusion from jury service. It was originally drafted by Senator Charles Sumner in 1870 but was not passed until shortly after Sumner's death in 1875. The law was not effectively enforced, partly because President Grant had favored different measures to help him suppress election-related violence against blacks and Republicans in the Southern United States. The act did three important things. It granted all Americans, regardless of race, equal access to all public places. This included places like theatres, hotels, train stations, and restaurants. The act also set a penalty for anyone who denied equal access to someone else because of race. The penalty was $500 which was a significant amount of money at the time. The third thing it did was grant the rights of all citizens, regardless of race, to serve on a jury. This act changed the course of life for all African-American people and was a crucial part of the uphill climb to creating equality across whites and blacks.
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