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1866 Freedmen’s Convention 1868 North Carolina Constitution

Political Rights – Suffrage Resolved, That we claim, as a matter of justice and right, that we should be allowed to exercise the elective franchise, and that the Constitution of the State should be so amended as to secure this right to every man, without regard to color. Resolved, That taxation without representation is tyranny, and that it is the duty of the government to abolish every form of political inequality.

Article VI, Sec. 1: Every male person born in the United States, and every male person who has been naturalized, twenty-one years old or upward… shall be deemed an elector… No person shall be disqualified… on account of race, color, or previous condition.

Political Representation Resolved, That colored men should be eligible to hold any office in the gift of the people or the appointment of the government, and that the laws should be so framed as to secure to us a fair and just representation in all departments of the State.

Article VI, Sec. 4: Before registering… each person shall take an oath… to support the Constitution and laws… No property qualification for eligibility to office shall be required… except for offices declared incompatible by this Constitution. (No explicit racial restriction.)

Education – Public School Access Resolved, That we consider education as the great lever to elevate us to the position of intelligent citizens; and we therefore demand that the Legislature make provision for the education of our children in common schools, sustained at the public expense, and free to all, without distinction of race or color.

Article IX, Sec. 2: The General Assembly… shall provide by taxation and otherwise for a general and uniform system of Public Schools, wherein tuition shall be free of charge to all children of the State…

Legal Equality & Protection “We have been loyal to the Government in its darkest hour; we now ask… to be secured in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; to be protected in our homes; to have equal justice in the courts; and to have the same opportunity for improvement that is afforded to others.”

Article I, Sec. 1: We hold it to be self-evident that all persons are created equal… among which are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor, and the pursuit of happiness.Sec. 7: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, but by the law of the land…

Military Service & Equal Obligation Resolved, That colored men, being liable to taxation and to bear arms in defense of the country, are entitled to all the rights and privileges of citizenship, and should not be subject to any discriminations in the militia laws of the State.

Article XII, Sec. 1: All able-bodied male citizens of the State… shall be liable to duty in the Militia… Sec. 2: The General Assembly shall provide for the organization… of the Militia of the State, in such manner as may be prescribed by law. (No racial exclusions stated.)