This amendment failed to pass on the ballot till after the end of the Civil War. Even though most Michigan citizens felt slavery should be illegal, they did not approve of black men voting. In large part, the motivation for this position was seated in the fears that more blacks would move to the state and compete with white workers for jobs. Black suffrage did not occur until after the 15th amendment to the US Constitution was passed. By 1900, blacks made up about 1% of the population while white immigrants and their offspring made up 57%. Here is when I begin noticing the emergence of whites fear of blacks as a threat to their livelihood as more fugitives arrived or prominent cases filled people’s imaginations in Michigan.
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