Tension Builds
The Constitutional Convention of 1864 gave greater freedoms to blacks within Louisiana but did not provide for a provision for black voting rights. The black Republican radicals, with the intent of changing the voting laws of Louisiana and eliminating the Black Codes, attempted to reconvene the convention, and succeeded.6 The illegality of the convention was because the elected chairman Howell had left the original convention before its conclusion and was therefore was not considered a member, the constitution was accepted by the people, and the radicals, only 25 of whom were present at the convention of 1864, did not make up a majority of the original convention. On July 27 the black supporters of the convention, including approximately 200 black war veterans, met on the steps of the Mechanics institute. They were stirred by many speeches by abolitionist activists, most notably Anthony Paul Dostie and former Governor of Louisiana George Michael Hahn. These speeches called for a march upon the Mechanics Institute to show support for the convention.
Read more about this topic: New Orleans Riot
Famous quotes containing the words tension and/or builds:
“Measured by any standard known to science—by horse-power, calories, volts, mass in any shape,—the tension and vibration and volume and so-called progression of society were full a thousand times greater in 1900 than in 1800;Mthe force had doubled ten times over, and the speed, when measured by electrical standards as in telegraphy, approached infinity, and had annihilated both space and time. No law of material movement applied to it.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“Raphael paints wisdom; Handel sings it, Phidias carves it, Shakespeare writes it, Wren builds it, Columbus sails it, Luther preaches it, Washington arms it, Watt mechanizes it.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)