WASHINGTON, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
FIRST VOTER
Profile America Monday, March 31st. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution declared the right 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." It became law on February 3, 1870. This milestone in civil rights was first exercised on this date that year, though in a decidedly minor electoral matter. Thomas Peterson-Mundy, a former slave, was the first African-American to exercise the franchise, casting a vote in favor of revising the charter for Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He, himself, was elected to a committee to draft the change. In the presidential election in 2012, 17.8 million blacks cast votes, a participation rate of 66.2 percent. Profile America is in its17th year as a Public Service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb14-ff03.html
http://blackamericaweb.com/70957/little-known-black-history-fact-thomas-mundy-peterson/
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
