3. James B. Beck, Admission of Southern States: Speech of Hon. James B. Beck, of Kentucky, in the House of Representatives, May 13, 1868 ([Washington, DC]: [Government Printing Office], [1868]). (15 p.)


Speech with a debate on the relative merits of new constitutions in five Southern states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, and Alabama. Acceptance of these constitutions by Congress was a prerequisite for readmission of these states to the Union. The primary issue in the debate revolves around the opportunity for black suffrage in the South.