African Americans for Government!

In this visual some of the key elements include the background information of the newspaper and the pictures. The North Star was a northern newspaper published in Syracuse, New York by Frederick Douglass. This is key information because newspapers will tend to have a bias, in this case a liberal perspective. It’s important to understand that not everything may be one hundred percent true in every newspaper or a certain article may have a spin on it. Since this newspaper is coming from the North, it’s going to try and persuade you to vote for the candidates who are in support of equal rights and abolition. Another important piece of information to notice is the date and the headlines that come with it. The date this newspaper was published was June 11, 1871, which was soon after the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were passed. These amendments abolished slavery, protected African Americans and their rights, and the right to vote. This is why the headlines support the date. They talk about voting for African Americans because they finally had the chance to be elected to the government. African Americans could freely learn how to read and write and become educated so they were able to run for congress and the senate.

Another important piece about this visual is the pictures. The image in the bottom right corner shows two candidates from opposing campaigns. It shows one standing for white men and one standing for black men. The image also has many words about negro suffrage written all over it and saying who was in support of it. At the bottom is written ¨The negro must be allowed to vote or the states be punished.¨ This is showing the advancement of freedom for African Americans.