An amendment to the Constitution of the United States that granted citizenship and equal rights, both civil and legal, to Black Americans, including those who had been emancipated by the thirteenth amendment.
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The Senate considers H. Res. 127 in Committee of the Whole
JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, (two-thirds of both houses concurring,) That the following article be proposed to the legislatures of the several States as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which, when ratified by three-fourths of said legislatures, shall be valid as part of the Constitution, namely:
ARTICLE —.
SEC. 1. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of persons born incitizens of the United States or naturalized by the laws thereof; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
SEC. 2. No class of persons as toRepresentatives shall be apportioned among the right of any of whom to suffrage discrimination shall be made, by anyseveral States which may be included within this Union according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, shall be inexcluded in the basis of representation, unless such discriminationing Indians not taxed. But whenever in any State the elective franchise shall be in virtuedenied to any portion of impartial qualifications founded on intelligence or propertyts male citizens not less than twenty-one years of age, or because of alienain any way abridged, orexcept for participation in rebellion or other crime.
SEC. 3. The public debt of, the basis of representation in such State shall be reduced in the United States, including proportion which the number of male citizens shall debts or obligations which have been or mbear to the whole number of such male citizens not less than twenty-one years of age.
SEC. 3. Until the fourth day of July, in ther yeafter be incurone thousand eight hundred in suppressingand seventy, all persons who voluntarily adhered to the late insurrection or in carrying on war in defense of, giving it aid and comfort, shall be excluded from the Union, orright to vote for payment of bountierepresentatives in Congress and for electors for pensions incPresident and Vice President to such war and provided for by law,of the United States.
SEC. 4. Neither the United States nor any State shall be inviolable. Butassume or pay any debts or obligations which have been already incurred, or which may hereafter be incurred, in aid of insurrection or of war against the United States, or andy claims of for compensation for loss of involuntary service or labor, shall not be assumed or paid by any State nor by the United States.
SEC. 45. The Congress shall have power to enforce by appropriate legislation the provisions of this article.