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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The Joint Committee on Reconstruction reports H. R. 1143
A BILL
To provide for the more efficient government of the insurrectionary States.
Whereas a large numberthe pretended State governments of the people of thlate so-called Confederate States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Arkansas, did declare their independence of the United States, were set up without the and did form a pretended government, under the titleority of the Confederate States of America; and whegreas their senators and representatives did withdraw from their places inout the Congress of the United States, and gave their allegiance to the so-called governmenttion of the Confederate States of Americapeople; and whereas said pretended government did wage a cruel and destructive war on the government and people of the United States, seized the publics afford no adequate protection for life or property and destroyed the commerce of the United States;, but countenance and whereas the said rebellion has been suppressed at a great loencourage lawlessness of blood and treasure of the United States,crime; and whereas it becomes the duty of the Congress ofis necessary the United States to provide for theace restoration of said States to their former relations to the federal government, and to secure to all thgood order should be citizens of the same complete protection in the full enjoyment of all their rights and privileges under the Constitution; and whereas the Congress of the United States does declare that saiso-called States shall not resume their relations to the Federal Government until a number of the people of saiduntil loyal and republican States, sufficient to control the same, shall maintain true faith and allegiance to t governments can be legally establishe United States: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senso-called States shall appoint three commissioners for each State, citizens of the State for whbe divided into military districh they shall be appointed, who shall have beennd made subject throughout the rebellion Union men, and who never aided or sympathized with the rebellion, whose duty it shall be to call a convention of the people of said Statesmilitary authority of the United States as hereinafter prescribed, and for theat purpose of reforming theirVirginia shall constitutions to suite the changed condition of the times. Said convention shall consist of as many delegates asfirst district; North Carolina and South Carolina the most numerous branch of the legislature on the first of January, eighteen hundred and sixty. That no person who voluntarily bore arms againstsecond district; Georgia, Alabama and Florida the third district; Mississippi and Arkansas the United States, or gave voluntary aid tofourth district; and Louisiana and Texas the rebellion, shall ever be eligible to a seat in said conventionfifth district.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That said commissionersit shall, on or bye the first daduty of May, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, or as soonthe general of thereafter as practicable, appointrmy to assign two the commissionersand of registration for each county, parish, orof said district is an each of said States, whose duty it shall be to registeraficer of the army, in an appropriate book kept for that purpose, all ofelow the legal voters of said county, parish, or district, in order to ascertain whether any citizen who may apply for registration is entitlerank of brigadier general, and to vote; said registers shall have power to administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That every maledetail a sufficient military force to enable such officer to person of the age of twenty-one years, who is a citizen of the United States, who has resided one year in the State, and wform his duties and enforce his autho has been a resident of the county six monwiths next preceding the election; who has never borne arms against the United States or given voluntary aid or comfordistrict to the enemy in the late rebellion, shall be entitled to registration as a voterwhich he is assigned.
SEC. 43. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the commissioners of registrationeach officer assigned as aforesaid to approint three judges of election and one clerk, registered votll pers, to hold elections, o in the day ordered by the State commissioners, in the several precincts or places for holding elir rights of person and property, to suppress insurrections in said counties, districts, or parishes, or at any other convenider, and violent place: Provided, however, That in case anyand to punish, other than the causual place for holding elections shall be selected, proper notice shpunished, all be given by advertising the same in at leastturbers of three public pleaces. The polls shall be kept opend from ten o'clock ante meridian until four o'clock post meridiminals, an of said day. Alter the pollto this have been closed the judges shall proceed to count the same and shall mmay allow civil tribunals to take a fair list of the votes cast, and for whom cast,jurisdiction of and shall at once transmit, by the haoffenders, of the clerk, said list, signed by thewhen in his judges and certified by the clerk, toment it may be necessary for the commissioners of registration, whotrial of offenders, he shall transmit the same to the Stathave power to organize commissioners. After the Statelitary commissioners shall have ascertained the successful candidates, they shall transmit to each a certificate of his election, which certificate shall entitle him to his seator tribunals for that purpose, anything in the convention.
SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the election for memberstitution and laws of the convention shso-called Stake place ontes to the first Monday of July, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven,contrary notwithstanding; and the convention shall assemble on the first Monday gislative or judicial proceedin August, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, at the capital of the respective States.
SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That when theor processes to prevent or control the proceedings of said convention shall have formed a constitutionmilitary tribunals, and shall have submitted the same to the people for ratification, and which shall have been declared republican in form binterference by said pretended State governments with the exercise of military authe Congress of the United States, then said Stateority under this act, shall be entitled to representation in the Congress of the United Statesvoid and of no effect.
SEC. 74. And be it further enacted, That the then State commissioners,urts appointed as provided for by this act, as soon asjudicial officers of they shall have been qualified, United States shall proceed to appoint judges, justicenot issue writs of the peace, sheriffs, and constables for said State, conformable to the respective districts as organizedhabeas corpus in behalf of persons in said State in the year eighteen hundred and sixty, and such officers shall have the same jurisdiction and perform the same duties as requirmilitary custody, unless some commissioned of them by the laws of said Stateficer on the first day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty, except where said laws have become contrary to the laws of the United States and uty in the district wherein conflict with the perovisions of this act.
SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the State commissionersd shall he duly qualified, befindorse any judge of a federal court, by takingupon said petition and subscribing to the followtatement certifying oath:
I, A. B., have never borne arms againsupon honor, that the United States, or counselhas knowledge, or given voluntary aid to the rebellinformation, or been engaged in any plot or conspiracy to overthrow the cauthority of the United States in any State or Territoryse and circumstances thereof; that I will faithfue ally and honestly discharge all the duties imposed on me by this act, without favor or partiality. So help me God.
All officerd detention, and that he believes that shall be same appointed to perform any duties undbe wrongful; and further, this act shall take and subscribe the above oath before entering upbelieves that the indorsed petition the duties of their preferrespective offices; and any person who shall swear falsely to anything required to be sworn to under this act shall be deemed guilty of perjuryin good faith, and in furtherance of justice, and upon conviction shall be confined to hard labor innot to hinder or delay the penitunishmentiary of the State for a period of not less than two nor more than three years.
SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the State commissioners crime. All persons put under militare hereby authorised to call upon the President, or any officer in commandt by virtue of the United States forces in said State, for troops to enable is act shall be tried withem to execute the provisions of this act or the laws of the State unnecessary delay, and upon such requisition it shall be the duty of the Presidentno cruel or any officers so cunusualled upon to furnish the troops demandment shall be inflicted.
SEC. 105. And be it further enacted, That no person shall be competent to sit as a juror in thsentence district or circuit courts of the United States, or the courts organized by the commissioners, who is not a legal voter according to the provisions of this act.
SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the Statelitary commissioners shall hold their said position unti or tribunal the respective States shall elect a governor and provide for filling all the official positions inby authorized, affecting the State; and they shall receive as a compensation for their services the sumlife or liberty of three thousand dollarsy per annumson, which shall be paid out of any money in the treasury of the Uniexecuted States not otherwuntil it ise appropriatved, and the same shall be refunded toy the treasury of the United States by the respective States. Theficer in commissionersand of regthe distration for the counties, parishes, and districts shall receive laws a compensnd regulations for their services the sum government of —— dollars, which said sumthe army shall be paid out of any money in the treasury of the Uninot be affected States not oby therwise appropriated, upon the certificate, of the commissioners for the State, certifying thatct, except in so far as they have well and truly performed their duty,conflict which sums shall be refunded to the treasury by the said State where the service was performed its provisions.