Circleville in Pickaway County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Political Meeting at Second Baptist Church
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2008
1. Political Meeting at Second Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Political Meeting at Second Baptist Church. . In 1870, African American men in Circleville attempted to vote in municipal elections. Despite the recent ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, pollsters refused their votes on the basis that state law forbade them from receiving the ballots. The Second Baptist Church was the site of a meeting of 147 African American men seeking redress. Together with Republican leaders these men produced petitions that were sent to the United States Senate and House of Representatives. These petitions gave the Republican Party the grounds to introduce bills to enforce the Fifteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The passage of the Enforcement Act of 1870 imposed criminal penalties for interference with the right to vote and also helped to shift power and authority from the individual state legislatures to the centralized Federal government.
In 1870, African American men in Circleville attempted to vote in municipal elections. Despite the recent ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, pollsters refused their votes on the basis that state law forbade them from receiving the ballots. The Second Baptist Church was the site of a meeting of 147 African American men seeking redress. Together with Republican leaders these men produced petitions that were sent to the United States Senate and House of Representatives. These petitions gave the Republican Party the grounds to introduce bills to enforce the Fifteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The passage of the Enforcement Act of 1870 imposed criminal penalties for interference with the right to vote and also helped to shift power and authority from the individual state legislatures to the centralized Federal government.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Briartown Publishing, Faith Ministries, Inc., Second Baptist Church, Pickaway County African American Preservation Association, St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 8-65.)
Location. 39° 35.89′ N, 82° 56.886′ W. Marker is in Circleville, Ohio, in Pickaway County. Marker is at the intersection of Mill Street and Elm Street, on the right when traveling west on Mill Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 130 W Mill Street, Circleville OH 43113, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,513 times since then and 88 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 17, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
