The Power of the Vote in 1868

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Andrew Johnson's Presidency

After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson took the lead.

Johnson, however, wasn’t ready to protect the newly freed African Americans. His main concern was the landless white southerners who had fought for the Confederacy and who, in his view, should not be harshly punished after the war. This led him to push through policies that aimed to quickly readmit the Southern states into the Union without requiring them to pay reparations for the war.

His rapid approach to Reconstruction upset many, including the Radical Republicans in Congress, who wanted a stricter and more comprehensive plan to integrate the Southern states back into the Union and ensure that African Americans were treated equally.

Johnson’s failure to win over Congress led to his impeachment in 1868. Although he narrowly avoided removal from office, this dramatic moment marked the end of his attempt to control Reconstruction.

The Radical Republicans, with military support in the South, began enforcing new laws, one of which was the 14th Amendment.

14th Amendment

By July of 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified, ensuring that all people born or naturalized in the United States were granted citizenship, which included African Americans.

This was a monumental shift, as it legally solidified African Americans’ rights as citizens. By November of the same year, these citizens were eager to participate in the upcoming presidential election.

This marked the first time African Americans in the South were allowed to vote.

The Election of 1868

After the chaos of Johnson’s presidency, the Republican Party sought a candidate who could embody their ideals and bring some stability back to the country.

The clear choice was Ulysses S. Grant, a hero of the Civil War who had led the Union Army to victory. Grant’s military success and popularity were hoped to inspire Republican loyalty and boost voter turnout.

On the opposing side, the Democratic Party chose Horatio Seymour, a former governor of New York.

Seymour, though a credible politician, lacked the star power of Grant. However, his campaign sought to weaken Grant's character by focusing on his struggle with alcoholism, calling him a "drunkard" in an effort to discredit his ability to lead.

Despite the personal attacks on Grant, the election was much closer than expected. Grant won with 53% of the popular vote and 214 of the 294 electoral votes, but it was clear that African Americans had played a crucial role in his victory.

• What does this indicate about the divisions in the country at the time, and how does this connect to the role African Americans played in shifting the political landscape?

African American Support for Grant

By 1863, Grant had become a strong supporter of African American rights. His belief that slavery must end to preserve the Union evolved into a firm stance on equality for African Americans.

By the time the election of 1868 came around, Grant had earned the loyalty of African Americans, particularly in the South, where military governments enforced their right to vote.

With the support of newly enfranchised African Americans, Grant won the election by securing 90% of the African American vote. In fact, without their votes, it’s possible that he could have lost the election.

But even though Grant’s support was strong, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups were doing everything in their power to prevent African Americans from voting. Their violent actions threatened the newly won rights of African Americans, and Grant had to take a strong stand against them.

In response to the violence and efforts to prevent African Americans from voting, Grant said that it would have been better if the country had never fought the Civil War to preserve the Union if the outcome would just lead to the Democratic Party taking power and undoing the progress that had been made for African American rights.

He felt that all the sacrifices made during the war would have been wasted if this happened.

15th Amendment

In an effort to protect African Americans' rights to vote, Grant and the Republican Party pushed for the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870.

This amendment prohibited states from denying the right to vote based on race, ensuring that African Americans could no longer be legally excluded from the political process.

Though challenges would arise in the following decades, the 15th Amendment marked a critical moment in protecting African American suffrage.

Before diving into the Got It? section, watch this video about the 15th Amendment. It will give you a clearer understanding of its purpose and how it fit into the broader efforts to secure rights for African Americans following the Civil War.

Pay attention to how it both protected African Americans' right to vote and the challenges that arose in enforcing it.

Now that you've learned more about the 15th Amendment, think about how it was meant to safeguard African American voting rights and why it still took many years for these rights to be fully realized.

This context will help you understand the lasting impact of this amendment and how it shaped the political landscape during and after Grant's presidency.