Amendment Quote by Rutherford B. Hayes
“I too mean to be out of politics. The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment gives me the boon of equality before the law, terminates my enlistment, and discharges me cured.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Inaugural Address, United States, 1877
The speaker celebrates the Fifteenth Amendment as granting legal equality and ending his military service, seeing it as a personal liberation.
In simple terms: The amendment gives equality and ends his duty.
Key Takeaway
Recognize legal rights as personal freedom.
Themes
eedom
politics
citizen rights
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- Voting rights activism
- legal advocacy
- military discharge processes
- civil rights education
Key Concepts
Constitutional law
civil rights
post‑war reconstruction
Questions to Reflect On
- How does legal equality translate to everyday life?
- What responsibilities accompany new rights?
A Different Perspective
The amendment’s promise may not fully address systemic inequality.
![“It could be clearly proved that by a practical nullification [by the South] of the Fifteenth Amendment the Republicans have for several years been deprived of a majority in both the House and Senate. The failure of the South to faithfully observe the Fifteenth Amendment is the cause of the failure…” quote by Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/713/rutherford-b-hayes-3486_amendments_it-could-be-clearly-proved-that-by-a-pra_3158122.jpg)
![“My father and mother in 1817 were forty-nine days on the road with their emigrant wagons [from Vermont] to Ohio. More than two days for each hour that I spent in the same journey.” quote by Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/290/rutherford-b-hayes-3486_father_my-father-and-mother-in-1817-were-forty_289081.jpg)
