American Historical Ephemera and Photography, Featuring African Americana

Printed broadside advocating for "Negro Suffrage and Negro Equality." Headings and two columns of text surmounted by a woodcut profile of an African American male. Approx. 6 x 18 in. framed to 12 1/2 x 25 in. (not under glass, unexamined outside frame, broadside adhered to white cardboard backing with some adhesive residue visible, light chipping, small loss bottom left not affecting text, loss at bottom left corner).

Whereas the 1776 New Jersey state constitution left open the possibility of African Americans (and women) to be voting citizens, in 1807 the New Jersey state legislature restricted suffrage to tax-paying, white male citizens. The broadside offered here discusses the introduction of a measure by state representative Mr. E.A. Stansbury of Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, to strike out the word "white" from the constitution of the state. The broadside states that on the 23rd of July [1867] the Radical or Republican State Convention met at Trenton to endorse the Congressional policy of Thaddeus Stevens and negro suffrage. Additionally, Stansbury drafted resolutions amongst which were the following: "That the insertion of the word 'white' in the Constitution of 1844 was a violation of the true principles of Republican government...Pledging ourselves to the eradication of the word 'white' from the Constitution of New Jersey by every legal and honorable means, we also call upon Congress to take measures to induce or COMPEL ALL THE STATES OF THE UNION to establish a just and uniform rule excluding all distinctions of class, race, or color...." Additional resolutions pledge the party to the cause of "impartial suffrage," and identify that as "ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO BE ADJUSTED IN THE APPROACHING CAMPAIGN." The final statement of the broadside states: "It will be seen therefore that by their own declarations on every side, a vote for the Radical ticket this fall is a direct vote for Negro Suffrage and Negro Equality."

In 1867-1868, during the height of Reconstruction, the pressing political issue of the day for Republicans was Black male suffrage, and winning approval for it in the North and the American West. As in other states, the New Jersey Republicans were fighting to keep this issue at the forefront of political debate. This broadside was likely produced by New Jersey Republicans as a campaign piece leading up to the pivotal state and national elections of 1868.

A historically important broadside reflecting the impassioned post-war discussions on race and suffrage which were occurring at both the state and national level. We locate no copies in OCLC or at auction.