Citizen Nation

When the Constitution was first established and ratified, slaves were counted as less than full persons for purposes of representation in our government. To be precise, each was 3/5 of a person. This “compromise,” as it is often called, was created (of course) without the consent or input of enslaved people, as a way to balance power and apportionment between slave and free, large and small states at the time of the Constitutional convention.

When, and how, did people of color first become free and then become counted as full people under the Constitution? Our discussion on Wednesday will focus on Good Citizen, Ch. 3 and Right to Vote, Ch 4. Please take careful notes and/or bring the books to class. Also bring a 2-3 page response paper that addresses one or more of these discussion questions (you can also discuss any of the readings for Monday) –

What were strategies (political, religious and otherwise) used to challenge the legality and morality of slavery? How successful were those strategies? How did they compare with early strategies for women’s suffrage?

Was granting the vote to black freedmen in the South during Reconstruction part of the general trend toward widening of the franchise, or an exception to it?

What did the 14th Amendment accomplish? What did it NOT accomplish?

Why is the story of the passage of the 15th Amendment a “strange odyssey”?

How were the experiences of white women and black men connected during Reconstruction? Where did this leave black women?

Describe the “redemption” of the South. In what sense was it redeemed?

After being enfranchised, how were African-Americans then (legally and otherwise) disenfranchised?

Given this history, what is the meaning of legal “personhood” in 19th century America, and how is that different from citizenship?

Reminder: you will be re-taking the Citizenship Exam in class on Wed!