Digges Amendment

The Digges Amendment was an amendment to the Maryland Constitution proposed in 1910 by the Democratic Party. The amendment would have used property requirements to effectively disenfranchise many African Americans (and possibly some immigrants) in the state. Two Democrats, William Frere and Walter Digges, were responsible for framing the bill.^[1]

History

The amendment would have required that people who have $500 worth of property and paid taxes to register for two years prior to an election.^[1] It was passed by the Maryland General Assembly and approved by Governor Austin Lane Crothers, but it still required the approval of the people. Even before the people had a chance to vote on the amendment, a bill was proposed which would have effectively passed the requirements of the Digges Amendment into law anyway. Not only did that measure fail after a public outcry, but the amendment itself was rejected by the people of Maryland.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Hill, Stephanie (18 April 2005). "One Step Closer to Freedom". Simmons College. pp. 85–86. http://scholar.simmons.edu/bitstream/handle/10090/1099/HillPrt3.pdf;jsessionid=095343FC68AC4432B821A5A9DEA7CBE2.dspace_022?sequence=3. Retrieved 17 August 2010.