A Portion of the First Draft of Benjamin Harrison’s 1891 State of the Union Message, Calling for Protecting the Right of Blacks to Vote

After regaining the majority in both Houses of Congress, some Republicans, led by President Harrison, attempted to pass legislation to protect black Americans’ civil rights.  Harrison’s Attorney General ordered prosecutions for the violation of voting rights in the South; however, with white juries it proved difficult to convict or indict violators.   This led to a major Civil Rights push by the Administration and prompted Harrison to urge 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.”

Harrison endorsed the proposed Federal Elections Bill written by Representative Henry Cabot Lodge and Senator George Frisbie Hoar in 1890.  This would be the last major Civil Rights effort until 1920. 

In 1891, Harrison was preparing for the 1892 election and his own re-election bid.  And he used this opportunity to turn up the volume on his Civil Rights effort.  On December 9, 1891, he gave his State of the Union message to Congress, and in it he spelled out in clear terms the need for better protections for minority voting and also for Federal involvement to secure that voting.

Autograph Manuscript, late 1891, an original piece of his State of the Union message entirely in his hand, being the section devoted to ensuring unrestricted black suffrage. “I believe it would be possible to constitute a Commission, non-partisan in its membership, & composed of patriotic, wise and impartial men to whom a consideration of the evils committed with our election system and methods might be committed with a good prospect of discussing from them unanimity in some plan for removing or mitigating those evils. The Constitution would permit the selection of the Commission to be vested in the Supreme Court, if, as seems probable, that method would give the best guarantee of impartiality. This Committee should be charged with the duty of inquiring into the whole subject of the laws of elections as related to the choice of officers of the National Government. With a view to securing to every elector a free and unmolested exercise of suffrage.”

The measure was ultimately defeated, but Harrison went on to continue his call for Civil Rights for African-Americans, declaring again to Congress in 1892: “The frequent lynching of colored people is without excuse.”

This comes with a one-page transmittal Typed Letter Signed from his private secretary, E.F. Tibbett, April 6, 1900, to E.P. Strickland, of Benton Harbor, Michigan. “I received your letter some days ago, and have been trying to get what you want.  I am forced now to select something old and to send it without a signature.  What you wish, however, as I believe, is a specimen of his handwriting other than his autograph signature.  This is taken from the first draft of a part of his message to Congress in 1891.  You will see that it is almost as it was finally printed.  I send you also a copy of the General’s State Papers while President.  You will find the extract on page 125.”

We are able to find only two other pre-1900 State of the Union manuscripts having been sold in the last 40 years.