The Struggle for the Right to Vote
As we face one of the must important presidential elections in our history, African Americans must remember the history of our struggle to vote in this country. Many people always say that we have to remember the struggle of those who came before us as they fought for the right to vote. However, do we really know what they went through and how they sacrificed for just an opportunity to cast their vote in what was supposed to be a Democracy.
As African Americans we can’t afford to stay home. We have the national election for president, but we also have many local races that are important. The goal of this article is to give people a better understanding of our struggle to achieve justice and equality.
The poll tax in many southern states kept Blacks from voting. Under the rules of the poll tax, Blacks could not vote until they paid a tax. The tax had to be paid on a certain date and time. This was very unfair because it was often more than the salaries of most Blacks. The grandfather clause was developed at the Louisiana convention of 1898. It exempted all males whose fathers or grandfathers could vote in the election on January, 1867, from having to pay poll taxes or pass the understanding test. The clause excluded Blacks because they had been denied the right to vote before 1867. As a result of the grandfather clause, only whites could vote and Blacks would still be left out.
If some Blacks were able to somehow slip through the grandfather clause, whites plotted again to keep them from voting by adopting laws that made participation in the primaries for Whites only. These were known as White Primaries. The restrictions on Black voters were carried out across the country in a number of ways. In New York during the 1860’s only Blacks who owned $250 or more in property could vote.
In Ohio, only those Blacks who looked white could vote. The very light-skinned individuals could vote. If you were dark-skinned, you could not vote. After the Constitution was ratified in 1788, the right to vote was restricted to property owners. Initially, free Blacks were included. Due to many protests by whites, Blacks who did not own property lost the right to vote and only whites who owned property could vote. In Philadelphia, whites rioted against Blacks and attacked their home and churches.
The work of Fannie Lou Hamer in Mississippi in the 1960’s to get Blacks registered to vote resulted in her being arrested and beaten so badly that it affected her for the rest if her life. People like Stokely Carmichael, Ella Baker, and activist groups such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks, Julian Bond to the life of Congressman John R. Lewis and countless others sacrificed and demanded the right for citizenship and the right to vote. Their stories need to be told repeatedly. They laid the foundation. In some cases, they lost their lives so we could exercise the right to vote.
One of the best books that I have in my collection is entitled, “We Shall Overcome” written by Herb Boyd, an Awarding winner author. In words, photos, and recorded voices he tells the story of the Civil Rights movement. The book comes with two audio CDs. The message of the book is, “We Must Remember Our History.” This message rings loud and clear especially today as we face the most important election in our lifetime!!