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  1. Overview: United States Fifteenth Amendment
  2. Full Record: United States Fifteenth Amendment
  3. Committee:The House of Representatives
  4. Session: 1869-01-11 12:00:00
  5. Event type: CREATE_FROM

United States Fifteenth Amendment

The House of Representatives

The House of Representatives of the Fortieth Session of Congress

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Document introduced in:

Session 6505: 1869-01-11 12:00:00

Thomas Cornell from New York enters the House; H. Res. 399, H. Res. 402, and H. R. 1667 are proposed

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H. R. 1667

There are 3 proposed amendments related to this document on which decisions have not been taken.

A Bill

To secure equal privileges and immunities to citizens of the United States, and to enforce the provisions of article fourteen of the amendments to the Constitution.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That no State shall abridge or deny the right of any citizen of the United States to vote for electors of President and Vice-President of the United States, or for Representatives in Congress, or for members of the legislature of the State in which he may reside by reason of race, color, or previous condition of slavery; and any provisions in the laws or constitution of any State inconsistent with this section are hereby declared to be null and void.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That every person lawfully engaged in preparing a registry of voters, or in holding or conducting an election for any of the officers named in the first section of this act, who shall wilfully refuse to register the name, or to receive, count, return, or otherwise give the proper legal effect to the vote of any citizen entitled to vote for any officer named in the first section of this act, on account of race, color, or previous condition of slavery of such citizen, shall be punished by a fine of no more than four thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two years.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That any person who shall wilfully hinder or obstruct, or attempt to hinder or obstruct, any citizen on account of the race, color, or the previous condition of slavery of such citizen, in the exercise of his right to vote for the officers named in the first section of this act, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That any person disqualified by section three of article fourteen of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States, and from whom such disability shall not have been removed by act of Congress, who shall exercise the powers and duties of any office therein specified, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and being convicted thereof shall be imprisoned and kept at hard labor for the term of two years; and an indictment for the same may be found at any time within ten years from the commission of the offence.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the district courts of the United States, within their respective districts, shall have exclusive jurisdiction of all offences committed against this act, and the district attorneys, marshals and deputy marshals of the United States shall, and they are hereby specially authorized and required, at the expense of the United States, to institute proceedings against any person who shall violate the provisions of this act.

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