Today in History – In 1870, Thomas Mundy Peterson becomes the first black man to vote in America!
So on March 31, 1870 ….
Thomas Mundy Peterson (October 6, 1824 – February 4, 1904) of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was the first African-Americanto vote in an election under the just-enacted provisions of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870. From Wikipedia
Peterson also became the first black man to hold an elected office. His father was Thomas Peterson. His mother’s name was Lucy Green. The former came from free parents, but the latter’s parents had been slaves in Gov. Newell’s family; in Monmouth County. When Thomas was four years old, his father moved to Perth Amboy. On Feb. 10, 1844, Peterson was married to Daphne Reeve whose family had been slaves on the Bell estate in Perth Amboy. Later in life, he earned a job as school custodian, the elementary school is now named after him. (Sources: The 15th Amendment Black Suffrage: Thomas Mundy Peterson, first Negro voter in the United States)