Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Constitutional Amendment

The constitutional amendment!
One veterans complains, “Surely, we did not fight for this.” Another remarks, “I thought we fought for the Union.” A straggly bearded man encourages the blacks, “Come on, my brave boys, you saved the Nation.” The black response is, “Dat’s so Brudder Yank, and you need our votes now. De poor White Trash must stand back.” At right two more white men complain, “Negroes rule us now,” and “We have no chance here.”

What is the purpose of this poster? What emotions does this poster tap into? Use specific evidence from the source to support your responses.

Who is the audience for this primary source? How do you know? What more do you learn from the source record? Do  you think this poster was effective with its target audience? Why or why not?

Review the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, then conduct more research on your own. After, use what you learned in your analysis of this historical poster and your investigations to create a poster that supports or opposes the compact.

What other observations, reflections or questions does this source inspire? Let us know!