The 15th Amendment Celebration May 19th, 1870 Downloadable Poster Art Image

Taking pride in a momentous historic event, The 15th Amendment Celebration May 19th, 1870 Downloadable Poster Art Image displays its enactment on March 30, 1870, and its celebratory parade in Baltimore on the 19th of May. This picture presents a clear visual of the parade crossing a green in sight of Baltimore's Washington Monument at the center of the image. A float with four young women wearing crowns and sheltered by a canopy leads the parade by being drawn with four white horses, while a troop of Zouave drummers, two rows of men in top hats, ranks of troops, and other floats follow its lead.

Several vignettes surround the central parade scene. The top corners present bust portraits of President Ulysses S. Grant on the left and Vice President Schuyler S. Colfax on the right. The top center exhibits three black leaders namely Martin Robinson Delany, author and the first black major in the U.S. Army, the abolitionist and U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia Frederick Douglass, and Mississippi senator Hiram Rhoades Revels.

The left side of the parade image showcase a young black man reading the Emancipation Proclamation at the upper left, below it reflects three black men with Masonic sashes and banners carrying the "We Unite in the Bonds of Fellowship with the Whole Human Race" message, an open Bible or "Our Charter of Rights" and a bust portrait of Lincoln are placed under the trio's picture, and a classroom scene in a black school labeled "Education Will Prove the Equality of the Races" lay at the lower-left corner.

The right side of the central scene presents two free blacks who "till our own fields" at the upper right side, a black officer commanding his troops "We Will Protect Our Country as It Defends Our Rights" placed below the free men, a bust portrait of John Brown, and a black man reading to his family "Freedom Unites the Family Circle." The lower right corner shows a black pastor preaching to his congregation with the motto "The Holy Ordinances of Religion Are Free" below.

The bottom row shows three more scenes. From left to right, this row reflects a black wedding ceremony "Liberty Protects the Marriage Alter", a black man voting "The Ballot Box Is Open To Us", and a Senator revels in the House of Representatives "Our Representative Sits in the National Legislature".

A smaller rendition of this print (no. 1870-5) was also issued by Kelly, who is the publisher of this memorabilia. The information of this image presented by the Library of Congress is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. There are no known restrictions on the publication of this picture. However, the use of appropriate attribution is requested. The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division should be acknowledged as the source.

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