South Carolina voters approved a new state constitution by a wide margin—70,758 to 27,228—and elected a new slate of state officers, including Francis L. Cardozo, the first Black person to hold a cabinet-level position in the state as Secretary of State. The 1868 constitution was one of the most progressive of its time, mandating integrated public education and embedding a strong bill of rights. It declared: “Distinctions on account of race or color, in any case whatsoever, shall be prohibited.” This landmark document reflected the aspirations of newly enfranchised Black citizens during Reconstruction.
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