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Difficulty: MediumReconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

In 1870, when Hiram Revels of Mississippi was elected as the first African American to serve in the United States Senate, opponents formally challenged his credentials. They argued that Revels did not meet the constitutional requirement of nine years of citizenship, citing the Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford. Which of the following best explains how supporters of Revels successfully countered this argument to secure his seating?

  1. They argued that the Fourteenth Amendment's citizenship clause nullified the Dred Scott decision, thereby confirming that free-born African Americans had always been citizens of the United States.Answer
  2. B
    They asserted that the Fifteenth Amendment automatically granted immediate citizenship and voting rights to all African American men upon its ratification in 1870.
  3. C
    They argued that the Thirteenth Amendment's abolition of slavery retroactively conferred full federal citizenship status upon all formerly enslaved and free-born Black people.
  4. D
    They claimed that the Emancipation Proclamation had already granted constitutional citizenship to all people of African descent residing in the United States in 1863.

Answer

They argued that the Fourteenth Amendment's citizenship clause nullified the Dred Scott decision, thereby confirming that free-born African Americans had always been citizens of the United States.
The correct answer is correct because the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, defined national citizenship to include all persons born or naturalized in the United States. This definition directly nullified the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision, which had ruled that Black people could not be citizens. Supporters of Hiram Revels argued that as a free-born man, the Fourteenth Amendment recognized his citizenship from birth, satisfying the nine-year constitutional requirement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the constitutional obstacle raised by opponents to Hiram Revels's seating in the Senate.
Opponents used the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruling to argue that African Americans were not citizens and therefore Revels had not been a citizen for the required nine years.
Understanding the basis of the opposition is necessary to evaluate the legal counter-arguments.
2
Analyze how the Reconstruction Amendments altered the definition of citizenship.
The Fourteenth Amendment (ratified in 1868) established that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, effectively overturning the Dred Scott ruling.
Connecting the legal provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment directly addresses the constitutional issue of birthright citizenship.
3
Evaluate the supporters' counter-argument regarding Revels's background as a free-born man.
Since Revels was born free and lived in the United States, the Fourteenth Amendment's birthright citizenship clause confirmed his lifelong status as a citizen, rendering the Dred Scott precedent inapplicable.
This explains why the Senate voted to seat Revels, acknowledging that the Fourteenth Amendment resolved the citizenship question.

Key Concept

The Fourteenth Amendment and the constitutional establishment of birthright citizenship to overcome historical exclusion and political disenfranchisement.

Hints

1
Focus on the specific amendment that defined who is a citizen of the United States.

Practice More

Review how southern legislatures used Black Codes to undermine the Thirteenth Amendment, necessitating the civil rights protections of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Reconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

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