The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited states from using race or previous condition of servitude as a basis for disfranchisement. It gave the Supreme Court a basis in which to hold state-sanctioned electoral devices that indirectly impeded the right of blacks to vote in violation of the constitution. One such device was the “grandfather clause,” a state law that declared a voter did not have to meet qualifications to vote, such as a literacy test, provided he was descended from a voter who could vote on January 1, 1867, a limitation that systematically excluded blacks. This lithograph features Hiram Revels (R-MS), who during Reconstruction was the first American of African descent to serve as a senator in the U.S. Congress in 1870 and 1871.
James C. Beard’s hand-colored lithograph with watercolor, “The Fifteenth Amendment, Celebrated May 19th, 1870,” is a fascinating piece of historical art. Beard was an American lithographer active during the 19th century, and his work often focused on significant political and social events.
This particular lithograph celebrates the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified on February 3, 1870. The amendment was a landmark in American history, aimed at protecting the voting rights of African American men by prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The lithograph, published by Thomas Kelly in New York, captures the enthusiasm and significance of the event. Hand-colored with watercolor, the print likely features a vibrant and celebratory depiction of the momentous occasion. The artwork might include imagery of parades, speeches, or public gatherings, reflecting the jubilant mood and the sense of progress associated with the amendment.
This print serves not only as a historical artifact but also as an artistic representation of a pivotal moment in the struggle for civil rights in the United States. The use of color and lithographic techniques would have been used to emphasize the celebratory nature of the occasion and the hope for a more inclusive and equitable society.