In the second half of the 18th century, freed slaves had the right to vote in all but three states. It wasn't until the 19th century that states began passing laws disenfranchising the black population. In 1850, only 6 out of 31 states allowed blacks to vote. 1After the Civil War, three Reconstruction amendments were passed. The first and second aimed to end slavery and guarantee equal rights. The third, the 15th Amendment, granted suffrage regardless of color, race, or prior position of servitude.2 The 15th Amendment monumentally changed the structure of American politics to the extent that it was no longer privileged whites who could vote. For some it was like hell had come to earth, but for others it was the song of freedom. However, the song was short-lived. While many political cartoons of the era show the freedom to vote former slaves enjoyed thanks to the 15th Amendment, they often neglect to include the fact that many African Americans were forced to vote a certain way or were simply deprived of their rights. The Fifteenth Amendment was proposed to Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified a year later. After the Civil War, the Confederate States were forced to ratify the Reconstruction Amendments in order to be reinstated in the union.3 Equal rights advocate Charles Sumner refused to vote because he felt the amendment was not taking the necessary steps to prevent the development of various state laws that could disenfranchise black voters.4 Sumner was right: by the 1890s, many states had passed legislation designed to prevent blacks from voting . Poll taxes and literacy tests are perhaps the most iconic legislation of the era. These laws were passed in order to maintain...... middle of paper ......n of the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment brought a glimmer of hope to former slaves and their desire for equal rights in a racially unequal country. However, due to its passage, the 15th Amendment also stimulated racial feelings even more than before 1870. Due to the new amendment, many whites saw their positions of power threatened. What seemed at first like a new sense of belonging quickly transformed into a heightened sense of alienation and political pressure. However, political cartoons immediately following ratification appeared to sidestep the issue of black voter disenfranchisement. While many show the new freedoms enjoyed by black citizens, few show depictions of a white supremacist group coercing black citizens. It would take almost a hundred years after the 15th Amendment for this political pressure to be released on black voters...