Presidents Behaving Goodly: Benjamin Harrison and Civil Rights
Benjamin Harrison, like many of his Republican President predecessors, had been a General in the Civil War for the Union and had been an opponent of slavery. He was elected President at a time when animosity against the south over the war was starting to decline in the north and when the nation was starting to lose its appetite for protecting the rights of former slaves and their families, in part because of the cost of this policy as well as the fact that it was not politically expedient for his party to concede a number of southern states to the Democrats each election. To his credit, these were not factors is Harrison's approach to the issue of civil rights for African-Americans. He chose instead to be led by his principles, even if his party was not marching lock step behind him.
When Republicans regained their majority in both Houses of Congress, Harrison urged his party to pass legislation to protect African-Americans' civil rights. Harrison's Attorney General, William H. H. Miller and the Justice Department instituted a number of prosecutions for violation of voting rights in the South. But this proved largely ineffective because white juries almost always failed to convict or indict offenders. Harrison asked Congress to pass legislation that would "secure all our people a free exercise of the right of suffrage and every other civil right under the Constitution and laws." He endorsed the proposed Federal Elections Bill written by Representative Henry Cabot Lodge and Senator George Frisbie Hoar in 1890, but the bill was defeated in the Senate. After the failure to pass that bill, Harrison continued to speak in favor of African American civil rights in addresses to Congress. On December 3, 1889, Harrison went before Congress and said:
"The colored people did not intrude themselves upon us; they were brought here in chains and held in communities where they are now chiefly bound by a cruel slave code, When and under what conditions is the black man to have a free ballot? When is he in fact to have those full civil rights which have so long been his in law? When is that quality of influence which our form of government was intended to secure to the electors to be restored? In many parts of our country where the colored population is large the people of that race are by various devices deprived of any effective exercise of their political rights and of many of their civil rights. The wrong does not expend itself upon those whose votes are suppressed. Every constituency in the Union is wronged."
Harrison was critical of the idea of putting authority over civil rights in the hands of the states because he recognized that many states ignored this responsibility. He supported a bill proposed by Senator Henry W. Blair, which would have granted federal funding to schools regardless of the students' races. He also endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court ruling in the Civil Rights Cases (1883) that declared much of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional. None of these measures gained congressional approval, but Harrison cemented his reputation as a principled and genuine supporter of civil rights for African-Americans.
Though he would only serve one term as President, Harrison demonstrated considerable integrity, to the detriment of his political career. Although Benjamin Harrison is one of the least remembered presidents, he was ahead of his time in many ways, especially in the field of civil rights and in seeing education as a way for many to escape poverty. His reputation for integrity was justified, especially for his refusal to give away patronage to the party bosses. He paid a political price for this, but he was willing to do so. Harrison's support for African American voting rights and education would be the last significant attempts to protect civil rights until the mid 20th century.
When Republicans regained their majority in both Houses of Congress, Harrison urged his party to pass legislation to protect African-Americans' civil rights. Harrison's Attorney General, William H. H. Miller and the Justice Department instituted a number of prosecutions for violation of voting rights in the South. But this proved largely ineffective because white juries almost always failed to convict or indict offenders. Harrison asked Congress to pass legislation that would "secure all our people a free exercise of the right of suffrage and every other civil right under the Constitution and laws." He endorsed the proposed Federal Elections Bill written by Representative Henry Cabot Lodge and Senator George Frisbie Hoar in 1890, but the bill was defeated in the Senate. After the failure to pass that bill, Harrison continued to speak in favor of African American civil rights in addresses to Congress. On December 3, 1889, Harrison went before Congress and said:
"The colored people did not intrude themselves upon us; they were brought here in chains and held in communities where they are now chiefly bound by a cruel slave code, When and under what conditions is the black man to have a free ballot? When is he in fact to have those full civil rights which have so long been his in law? When is that quality of influence which our form of government was intended to secure to the electors to be restored? In many parts of our country where the colored population is large the people of that race are by various devices deprived of any effective exercise of their political rights and of many of their civil rights. The wrong does not expend itself upon those whose votes are suppressed. Every constituency in the Union is wronged."
Harrison was critical of the idea of putting authority over civil rights in the hands of the states because he recognized that many states ignored this responsibility. He supported a bill proposed by Senator Henry W. Blair, which would have granted federal funding to schools regardless of the students' races. He also endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court ruling in the Civil Rights Cases (1883) that declared much of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional. None of these measures gained congressional approval, but Harrison cemented his reputation as a principled and genuine supporter of civil rights for African-Americans.
Though he would only serve one term as President, Harrison demonstrated considerable integrity, to the detriment of his political career. Although Benjamin Harrison is one of the least remembered presidents, he was ahead of his time in many ways, especially in the field of civil rights and in seeing education as a way for many to escape poverty. His reputation for integrity was justified, especially for his refusal to give away patronage to the party bosses. He paid a political price for this, but he was willing to do so. Harrison's support for African American voting rights and education would be the last significant attempts to protect civil rights until the mid 20th century.