Douglass's Involvement in Post-Civil War Suffrage Movements
Following the Civil War, Frederick Douglass became even more directly involved in the women's rights movement. The struggle for African American suffrage gained momentum during the Reconstruction era, and Douglass saw voting rights as crucial for elevating emancipated people to full citizenship.
In 1866, the American Equal Rights Association was founded, officially uniting the causes of women's suffrage and African American suffrage. This organization was established through the public advocacy of prominent figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.
Highlight: Frederick Douglass was elected as one of the three vice presidents of the American Equal Rights Association at its inaugural meeting in May 1866.
The AERA's unity was first tested by the proposal of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment, which aimed to grant citizenship and civil rights to formerly enslaved individuals, sparked debate within the organization due to its language specifically extending rights to "male citizens."
Definition: The Fourteenth Amendment - A constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 that granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War.
Some members of the AERA feared that the amendment's gender-specific language would create a constitutional imbalance in rights between men and women. Others, including Douglass, supported its ratification as a step towards universal suffrage, despite its limitations.
Example: The Fourteenth Amendment's use of terms like "male citizens" and "male inhabitants" explicitly excluded women from voting rights.
