By consecutive amendments to the Constitution they were made freedmen. then citizens. and finally clothed with all the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. Thus by a single stroke of the pen 4.000.000 persons. onetenth of the whole population at that time. without education or previous preparation. were incorporated into our bodypolitic. When to this large nuimber of illiterate adults and minors who do not attend school we add the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are pouring into our country. so many of whom have imperfect or erroneous views of our Government. the great. the indispensable necessity for the passage of this bill most strongly appears. It is an admitted truth that virtue and intelligence are essential to our free institutions. If ignorance is at the holm. or immorality prevails. our ship of state must go down.
Identified stereotypes
Immigrants have imperfect or erroneous views of our Government.