An amendment to the Constitution of the United States that granted citizenship and equal rights, both civil and legal, to Black Americans, including those who had been emancipated by the thirteenth amendment.
The House of Representatives of the Thirty-Ninth Session of Congress
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Mr. Stevens submits a resolution to have the Committee of Judiciary inquire on the enforcement of law no matter race or color; Mr. Grider submits resolutions that are referred to Joint Committee on Reconstruction; Mr. Stevens reports on H. Res. 51
JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing to amend the Constitution of the United States.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, (two-thirds of both houses concurring,) That the following article be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States,; which, when ratified by three fourths of suchthe said Legislatures, shall become valid as part of the said Constitution, in place of the third paragraph of the second section of the first article, to wit:
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union according to the number of male ciir respectizens over twenty-one years of age hav numbers, counting the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branwhole number of persons in each of the State Legislature. The Congress, excluding Indians not taxed: Provided, That their first session aftwhenever the ratification of this amendment by the required number ofelective franchise shall be denied or abridged in any States, shall provide by law for the actual enumerati on account of race or color, all persons of such voters; and such actual enumeratiorace or color therein shall be separately made in a general censuexcluded from the basis of the populrepresentation of all the St: And provided further, Thates within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as the Congress may by law direct. The numbticle shall not be construed to affect the power of Representatives shall not exceed Congress to regulate the qualificatione for every hundred and twenty-five thlectors of the most numerous brandch of actual population, but each State shall have at least one Representhe Legislatures of the several Statives.