Friday, January 10, 2014

On this day in history, January 10, 1874, Republican Congressman Richard Harvey Cain delivered a speech in favor of the Civil Rights Bill of 1875 on the floor of the House.


Congressman Cain represented South Carolina's 2nd district. During his speech Cain said, "We come here clothed in the garb of American citizenship. We come demanding our rights in the name of justice. We come, with no arrogance on our part, asking that this great nation, which laid the foundations of civilization and progress more deeply and more securely than any other nation on the face of the earth, to guarantee us protection from outrage. And inasmuch as we have been raised to the dignity, to the honor, to the position of our manhood, we ask that the laws of this country should guarantee all the rights and immunities belonging to that proud position, to be enforced all over this broad land." ◼ ReFounders shared Black History, the GOP, and a Conversation's photo.