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  1. Overview: United States Fifteenth Amendment
  2. Full Record: United States Fifteenth Amendment
  3. Committee:Senate Committee of the Whole
  4. Session: 1869-02-03 12:00:00
  5. Event type: CREATE_FROM

United States Fifteenth Amendment

Senate Committee of the Whole

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Document introduced in:

Session 6609: 1869-02-03 12:00:00

The Senate proceeds to consider H. Res. 402 as in Committee of the Whole

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H. Res. 402

Shown with amendment 'None' (e867263)

(Showing state at moment e867263)
There are 0 proposed amendments related to this document on which decisions have not been taken.

Joint Resolution

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Be it 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 right, to vote, to be voted for, and to hold office shall not be denied or abridged anywhere in the United States under any pretense of race or color; and all provisions in any State constitutions or in any laws, State, territorial, or municipal, inconsistent herewith are hereby declared null and void.

Sec. 2. That any person who, under any pretense of race or color, willfully hinders or attempts to hinder any citizen of the United States from being registered, or from voting, or from being voted for, or from holding office, or who attempts by menaces to deter any such citizen from the exercise or enjoyment of the rights of citizenship above mentioned, shall be punished by a fine not less than $100 nor more than $3,000, or by imprisonment in the common jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year.

Sec. 3. That every person legally engaged in preparing a register of voters, or in holding or conducting an election, who willfully refuses to register the name or to receive, count, return, or otherwise give the proper legal effect to the vote of any citizen under any pretense of race or color, shall be punished by a fine not less than $500 nor more than $4,000, or by imprisonment in the common jail for not less than three calendar months nor more than two years.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted. That the district courts of the United States shall have exclusive jurisdiction of all offenses against this act; and the district attorneys, marshals, and deputy marshals, the commissioners appointed by the circuit and territorial court of the United States, with powers of arresting, imprisoning, or bailing offenders, and every other officer specially empowered by the President of the Unitedi States, shall be, and they are hereby, required, at the expense of the United States, to institute proceedings against any person who violates this act, and cause him to be arrested and imprisoned or bailed, as the case may be, for trial before such court as by this act has cognizance of the offense.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That every citizen unlawfully deprived of any of the rights of citizenship secured by this act under any pretense of race or color may maintain a suit against any person so depriving him, and recover damages in the district court of the United States for the district in which such person may be found.

Decisions yet to be taken

  • H. Res. 402 (introduced on 1869-02-03 12:00:00 - CREATE_FROM - e866900) [This document]

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