OppressionJanuary 5, 1891
Lodge Federal Elections Bill Filibustered: Black Voting Rights Abandoned
Henry Cabot Lodge's Federal Elections Bill, passed by the House, is filibustered to death in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill would have allowed federal supervision of congressional elections to protect Black voters. Its defeat signals the final Republican retreat from Reconstruction commitments. No federal civil rights legislation passes for the next 74 years.