I was never much of a fan of President Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, and this is proof of his inept abilities and poor character. On this date in 1866, the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 was passed by Congress. This was in spite of President Johnson’s veto back in March. It had first been introduced back in January, and Johnson vetoed it in March. The Senate had already overridden it by a two-thirds majority, and now the House did the same thing. This was the first time civil rights had been legislated, and it guaranteed rights to all males (except Native Americans). This meant African Americans now were supposed to have full citizenship within the U.S. Unfortunately, we know all too well that old habits die hard, but at least this was an early step in the right direction.
For more info:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/activism/ps_1866.html
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1866
http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Bill-of-1866/
