During Reconstruction after the end of the U.S. Civil War, President Andrew Johnson was presented with a civil rights bill giving blacks “the same rights of property and person” as whites. He vetoed this bill based partially on the idea it would give blacks extra rights not afforded to whites. From A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner:
"Somehow, the president had decided that giving blacks full citizenship discriminated against whites--'the distinction of race and color is b the bill made to operate in favor of the colored and against the white race.' Johnson even invoked the specter of racial intermarriage as the logical consequence of Congressional policy."
Fortunately, the Congress voted to override the veto. But Johnson’s mindset could easily be paralleled to those protesting equal rights for homosexuals. The similarities are striking.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment