One important theme in Chapter 16 is the drive to expand suffrage as a consequence of the Civil War. Just as emancipation had altered the meaning of the war, southern recalcitrance transformed Reconstruction into a process that held potential for social revolution. Although revolution was not to be, dramatic political and constitutional changes were implemented before radicalism was contained.
     The following documents explore the forces operating in the postwar era to encourage the extension of civil rights to the freedmen. Stressing the arguments that framed the debate, these materials place heavy emphasis on the voting franchise, regarded by most observers as the key to black political and social aspirations. As you review the evidence, pay careful attention to the justifications for and criticisms of a constitutional remedy.
         Black initiative is evident in the interview granted by President Andrew Johnson to Frederick Douglass and George Downing. Compare their argument with the position taken by Missouri Senator Carl Schurz in his effort to persuade the president to endorse the black vote. Given the politically charged atmosphere that dominated postwar Washington, you should note the partisan backgrounds of the persons involved. The political context is clarified by your textbook's account of debate over the black codes, the civil-rights bill, and the Freedmen's Bureau.
     An important aspect of the struggle for equal rights was the close link between abolitionism and feminism. Insisting on "natural rights" for all adult citizens, proponents of women's rights moved in 1866 to establish the American Equal Rights Association, which blended the campaigns for both black and female suffrage. As your text notes, however, Radical Republicans tried to play down the link between their goals for freedmen and  feminist insistence on women's enfranchisement.  As you compare Elizabeth Cady Stanton's bitter attack on feminism's abolitionist and Radical "friends" and Henry B. Blackwell's baldly practical argument for female suffrage, be conscious of the relationship between the  two reform movements.
     As partisan strife increased, Johnson became even more uncooperative. Review your textbook's description of his split with the Radical Congress as you examine his annual message of 1867. Consider the grounds on which Johnson based his argument, including the constitutional implications of his views. His annual message establishes the president's position on the hotly debated Fourteenth Amendment.
     As you reflect on the documents, focus on a definition of civil liberties and political equality. In the context of the 1860s, which groups in American society could claim title to equal rights?
 
 

1. What arguments were used by blacks and Republicans to support the extension of suffrage to freedmen in 1865-1866? Were there underlying, yet unspoken, reasons for the endorsement of black political equality?

2. On what grounds did President Johnson base his position on black suffrage? How would you account for his position on the Fourteenth Amendment? What is the relationship between the president's social/political background and his views on the voting franchise?

3. What was the relationship between abolitionism and the women's rights movement? What do the documents reveal about the obstacles to female suffrage in the 1860s?

4. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Henry B. Blackwell both supported female suffrage, yet they took different positions concerning reform prioriti~s in the 1860s. Do the documents reveal anything of the priorities each established? As you examine their respective arguments for women's voting rights, what differences are evident?

5. What do Stanton's remarks on the drive to amend the New York constitution reveal about the nature and depth of the feminist commitment to black equality? What were the ultimate consequences of the tension between abolitionism and feminism?

6. What was the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment? What did this constitutional amendment reflect about the Radicals' conception of federalism? In what ways was the constitutional balance in the American political system affected by the amendment?

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