In his first message to Congress, issued in December 1889, President Benjamin Harrison, a Republican and a veteran of the Civil War, called on Congress to stop the disenfranchisement of Black voters in the South and to help “secure to all our people a free exercise of the right of suffrage.”
The author first develops his claim by exclaiming how president Harrison advocated for African American rights and their justice. The author states that the republicans want Harrison to promote this bill mainly for the support they are receiving from African Americans. However, this decision by Harrison was a big influence on the Lodge Bill. Also, this develops debate of african american rights which is still discussed today.