museum corner October 2020
1952 presidential campaign: The Moses Fell building on the NW corner of 16th and J St. was awash with Republican political advertising—Dwight D. Eisenhower for president, Richard Nixon for vice president, George N. Craig for governor and Bedford resident, William E. Jenner, for U.S. Senate.
Let freedom ring
By Becky Buher, published in the Times-Mail newspaper, Oct. 7, 2020
The election is coming, and we will again have an opportunity to vote, but how did we get that privilege?
We think politics are messy today, but just think about establishing a democratic government for this new country. Our United States Constitution was ratified in 1788. Gen. George Washington became our country’s first president.
Who were the citizens of the new United States? Many of the people who lived here had not been born here. How was it determined who would be eligible to vote and decide basic policies?
Early in our country’s history the states had the power to set voting requirements, and in 1789, most states gave the privilege of voting only to white men who owned property or paid taxes. That meant that only about 6 percent of the population was allowed to vote.
Just a year later, in 1790, The Naturalization Act gave free white men (of good moral character) born outside the United States the opportunity to become U.S. citizens with voting rights. Native Americans, indentured servants, slaves and free blacks were excluded. So, how did they become free citizens with voting rights? To answer that, we have to go back to the War Between the States—the American Civil War—1861-1865.
The Southern states became a separate Confederacy. The Northern states fought to maintain the Union of the United States with Abraham Lincoln presiding to reunite the country.
In 1862, President Lincoln declared that on Jan. 1, 1863, all enslaved people in the states currently engaged in rebellion against the Union shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.
Hatred during our country’s family fight brought on the assassination of President Lincoln. His successor, Andrew Johnson, (who had been a slave owner in Tennessee) had the job of bringing the Confederate states back into the Union and recognizing former slaves as equal citizens.
In 1868 during Johnson’s administration, the 14th Amendment to the constitution guaranteed citizenship to all male persons born or naturalized in the United States. This included former slaves. Citizens had “equal protection of the laws.” But, newly elected southern state legislatures enacted laws that restricted black citizens.
1870: 15th Amendment to the constitution: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race color, or previous condition of servitude.” In spite of this right to vote, several states continued practicing voter discrimination. Poll taxes, literacy tests, fraud, and intimidation prevented many from voting. Native Americans were still denied the right to vote.
As the 20th century began, women asserted their desire to vote. A local example in the Bedford Weekly Mail, Nov. 19, 1915 stated: “Zeb Hawkins says his wife is for woman suffrage, but he don’t care what she is for as long as she gives him a comfortable living and his tobacco.” In 1918, Indiana citizens collected over 700,000 signatures on a petition sent to Congress in favor of women’s voting rights.
1920— The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” On January 16, 1920, Indiana voted to ratify the 19th Amendment.
1924—The Indian Citizenship Act granted Native Americans citizenship and voting rights. It had taken nearly 150 years for the people who first lived on the land occupied as the continental United States to be accepted as citizens on their native soil.
1964—The Federal Civil Rights Act ensured all men and women age 21 and older, regardless of race, religion, or education, the right to vote.
1971—26th Amendment lowered voting age to 18.
1984—Polling places became accessible to people with disabilities.
2008—U.S. Supreme Court allowed voters to choose candidates from any political party.
The United States experiment in democracy and freedom has been at stake since it began. It is a precious gift.
The right to vote continues to be hard-fought. The young, the middle aged, and seniors all have the choice/opportunity/responsibility to vote. It’s up to each one of us!
The museum’s most recent exhibit includes artifacts relating to former U.S. presidents and former presidential candidates. It’s in the front of the gallery. Hope you have the opportunity to visit it.
1968 presidential campaign: Democratic primary challenger, Sen. Eugene McCarthy, campaigned in Bedford on an anti-Vietnam War platform. The courthouse and the Greystone Hotel can be seen in the background.
The museum’s most recent exhibit includes artifacts relating to former U.S. presidents and former presidential candidates. It’s in the front of the gallery. Hope you have the opportunity to visit.