Thread by @ZinnEdProject

#tdih 1870 150 yrs ago. Fifteenth Amendment to U.S. Constitution was formally adopted. Declared the right of U.S. citizens to vote could “not be abridged or denied” by any state "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/fift…

On a per capita and absolute basis, more African Americans were elected to public office during the period from 1865 to 1880 than at any other time in U.S. history. These legislatures brought in programs of public benefit such as universal public education. #TeachReconstruction

Over time, the 15th Amendment would be narrowly interpreted, allowing states to implement white supremacist restrictions such as poll taxes and "literacy" tests that did not mention race by name, but effectively prevented most African Americans from voting. #teachvotingrights

In a moment of renewed and insidious voter suppression, examining the history of Reconstruction and the struggle for voting rights presents an opportunity to challenge the deeply entrenched fable of the steady forward progress of U.S. history. #teachoutsidetextbook

The Zinn Education Project is partnering with @ColorOfChange on a campaign to teach about voting rights — in history and today — on this 150th anniversary of 15th Amendment. On link below, see downloadable Voting Rights Toolkit and more resources. zinnedproject.org/15th-amendment/

Here is a free, 3-lesson unit for grades 7+ on the history of struggle against voter suppression by @LadyOfSardines. Includes text by Fannie Lou Hamer and short bios of voting rights activists throughout U.S. history. #peopleshistory zinnedproject.org/materials/teac…