Profile America: Primary Voter, Thomas Peterson-Mundy

Friday, March 31 — The 15th Amendment to the Constitution declared the right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It was ratified on February 3, 1870. The new, affirmed civil right was first exercised on this date that year, though in a decidedly minor electoral matter.

Thomas Peterson-Mundy, a former slave, was the first African-American to exercise the franchise, casting a vote in favor of revising the charter for Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Peterson-Mundy himself was elected to a committee to draft the change.

In the non-presidential election of 2014, almost 40 percent of the Black alone population over the age of 18, some 11 million citizens, reported voting.

You can find current data on the country’s economy by downloading the ‘America’s Economy’ mobile application here.

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