The first recorded instance of a Black person voting in a U.S. presidential election occurred on November 3, 1872. Thomas Mundy Peterson had already gained recognition for being the first Black American to vote under the 15th Amendment to the Constitution in a local election in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on March 31, 1870. Peterson's courageous act of voting symbolized the beginning of Black American political participation in the United States. This historic moment came shortly after the end of the Civil War and during the Reconstruction era, a time of significant social and political change. That year Republican Ulysses S. Grant, who had championed civil rights for the newly emancipated was re-elected as president. The votes Black men across the country, including Peterson, and those of many others during this election, symbolized the newfound political power of Black Americans and marked a crucial step in the long struggle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States.
The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.
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Thomas Mundy Peterson