The Fifteenth Amendment was passed by Congress and ratified during the Reconstruction Era, when the progressive wing of the Republican Party dominated Congress during the decade following the end of the U.S. Civil War. The Reconstruction era was noteworthy in that African American men were not only granted voting rights but even won several seats in Congress. Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce became the first African Americans to be elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Mississippi. After their terms in office, the next Black person elected to the Senate was Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, nearly a century later in 1967. – National Archives
“Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.” – Keith Ellison
“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter.” – President Barack Obama
“Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world.” – Sharon Salzberg
“People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” – Alan Moore
“Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls.” – Nanette L. Avery
“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – President Thomas Jefferson
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” – Plato
Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” NIV
