FREDERICK DOUGLASS
1818 - 1895
What do you already know
about Federick Douglas?
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One of the most
important figures in
America's struggle
for civil rights and
racial equality
Born into slavery
around 1818 in
Talbot County,
Maryland.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
 Federick Douglas was a slave in Maryland
 Maryland is geographically in the North, however, the
Mason Dixon Line legally grouped it with southern states
 Pre-Civil War years, the Mason Dixon line divided the free
states from the slave states
 Federick Douglas escaped to New York so that he could
reside in a free state on September 3, 1838
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Throughout his life Douglass:
• remained close to many Republican politicians,
including President Grant and Abraham Lincoln.
• worked hard to persuade the Union to accept African
Americans in the military
• Assisted Susan B. Anthony in the fight for women’s
voting rights.
• Hosted escaping slaves in the Underground Railroad
The United States in the 1820’s
 The country continues to grow apart over the issue of slavery
 Sectionalism
Sectionalism is feelings of loyalty to a certain part of the country rather
than having a sense of connection to the entire country as a whole.
Growing sectionalism in the United States in the early 19th century
caused the country to near towards the beginning of the Civil War.
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1860- Abraham Lincoln is elected president
Secession begins in 1960 with South Carolina leaving the Union
• Secession is the action of withdrawing membership from a federation or
body
• 11 states declared separation from the Northern part of the county
• The Confederate States of America – president: Jefferson Davis
• The main points of the CSA constitution was to protect slavery and the
rights of Southern states.
The Civil War
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April 1861
1865 – Lincoln assassinated, Civil War ends
In the emotional period after Lincoln’s death and the defeat of the South,
Congress passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment to the United States
Constitution
• The THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT (abolishing slavery)
• The FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT (defining citizenship.
For the first time, citizenship was defined by the
Constitution and was extended to all people born within the
United States – including African Americans – but
excluding Native Americans who received citizenship in
1924)
• The FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT (granting suffrage,
voting rights to African Americans – a right denied
American women until 1920 and Native Americans until
1924).
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Federick Douglas role as an abolitionist
had a significant impact on the addition of
these amendments to the constitution
Activist for African American rights
Successful work towards black suffrage
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Suffrage= the right to vote in political elections
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The Right To Vote
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Although, the 15th Amendment
granted African American citizens the
right to vote, Southern states were
allowed to dictate qualifications for
voting
Many laws were put into place with
the sole purpose of disenfranchising
a majority of Black voters
Voter Suppression
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Poll Taxes
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Jim Crow Laws
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Voting fee
A “grandfather clause” excused some poor whites from payment if they had an ancestor who
voted before the Civil War
No such exemption for African Americans
Legalized segregation
Literacy Tests
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designed so that the test-takers would pass or fail simply at the discretion of the registrar
who administered the test.
The questions were so imprecisely written that the examiner could decree almost any answer
correct or incorrect, at his whim
THESE PRACTICES WERE FINALLY DEEMED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
AND WERE BANNED WITH THE 24TH AMENDMENT IN 1964.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/1
0/20/2020-election-voter-rights-polls-trump-biden/3710714001/
Voter Eligibility
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be a citizen of the United States
be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at
least 30 days before the election
be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote
until you are 18)
not be in jail or on parole for a felony conviction (unless parolee
pardoned or restored rights of citizenship)
not currently be judged incompetent by order of a court of
competent judicial authority
not claim the right to vote elsewhere
LET’S PRETEND THAT YOU HAVE MET ALL OF THE QUALIFICATIONS
ABOVE. CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:
PollEv.com/tonyabettine53
HOMEWORK
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MS. B WILL BE PUTTING HOMEWORK UP IN YOUR GOOGLE CLASSROOM
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THIS HOMEWORK WILL BE A QUIZ
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DON’T CHEAT! SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS HONESTLY BASED ON YOUR OWN OPINIONS
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RESULTS WILL BE COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS
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THIS QUIZ WILL TELL YOU, BASED ON YOUR OPINIONS ON POLITICAL, SOCIAL,
ECONOMIC MATTERS, WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE YOU ARE MORE ALIGNED
WITH.
THIS SHOULD SHOW YOU THAT WHEN VOTING, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO YOUR
RESEARCH BEFORE CASTING YOUR VOTE AND MAKE SURE THAT THE CANDIDATE
YOU ARE VOTING FOR IS SOMEONE WHO WILL PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS
ON (OR BEFORE) ELECTION DAY, MS. B WILL LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF THIS QUIZ
AND WE WILL COMPARE IT TO THE “POLL EVERYWHERE” RESULTS WE DID IN CLASS
TODAY AND DISCUSS ANYTHING THAT WAS SHOCKING TO US !