Thomas M. Peterson &
The 15Th Amendment To The U.S. Constitution
The Fifteenth Amendment To The United States Constitution, Which Had Been Ratified On February 3, Went Into Effect On March 30, 1870. The Amendment Extended The Right To Vote To All Males Regardless Of "Race, Color Or Previous Condition Of Servitude."
The Next Day, Thomas Mundy Peterson Was The First Black American To Exercise His New Constitutional Right. Peterson Voted In An Election Held In Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Peterson's Gravestone Declares Him The "first Negro voter in the United States under the Fifteenth Amendment." Peterson Was Issued A Voting Medal By The Citizens O fPerth Amboy, In 1884. Peterson Continued To Be Politically Active Throughout His Life, And Would Go On To Become The First Black American To Hold An Elected Office In Perth Amboy.
Despite Passage Of The New Law, For Years Blacks Were Denied Their Right To Vote Through Various Methods. These Included: Threats, Literacy Tests, Violence And Even Murder.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It. " -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr. 
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Posted By: Hugh Gaddy
Monday, March 29th 2010 at 10:49PM
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