"There is a long and troubled history of voter discrimination in Florida. Florida became a state in 1845, but refused to extend civil and political rights to blacks immediately following the Civil War. In its 1865 constitution, Florida explicitly limited the right to vote to “free white males.” In 1866, it rejected the 14th Amendment which granted equal citizenship to freed slaves. As a condition of readmission to the Union, Congress required Florida to extend voting rights regardless of race. In response, Florida’s 1868 Constitution established a legislative apportionment scheme that diminished representation from densely populated black counties and put in place a lifetime voting ban for people with criminal convictions that targeted crimes for which blacks were most often convicted like larceny, perjury and bribery. These measures were followed in 1885 by a poll tax, giving the legislature “the power to make the payment of the capitation tax a prerequisite for voting.”"
L'article au complet:
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/florida-how-quickly-we-forget/
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire