Equality, they believed, could neither be conferred nor maintained unless the negro were invested with the badge of American manhood--the right to vote--a right which they were determined to guarantee as firmly to the colored man as it was already guaranteed to the white man.
Blaine emphasizes the importance of voting rights for African Americans as essential for true equality.
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Durant speaks of no duty, apparently thinks of none resting upon Southern Union men.
I have long since wished that capital punishment were abolished.
It was the insane folly of the South, in drawing the sword against the life of the Nation, that led irresistibly to the abolition of slavery.
Emboldened by the support of the National Administration, the Southern leaders believed that they could carry their designs through, and, instead of being restrained by the protest or the advice of Republicans, they chose with apparent…
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