Lily asked.
The students blinked and scratched their heads as they thought.
“No one?” she asked the class. She turned to him, her lips curved up and her eyes alight with mischief. “All right then, Mr. Avery, do you know?”
“Yes,” he answered . He cleared his throat. “The most recent change to our Constitution was the addition of the Fifteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1870.”
“Very good, Mr. Avery,” Lily smiled at him like a wolf about to pounce. “And could you please tell the class what rights and freedoms the Fifteenth Amendment gives us?”
He itched to know what she was up to .
“‘ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’,” he quoted.
“Precisely.”
She smiled, so bitter, so sweet. Christian’s itching flooded to full-on boiling.
“What that means, class,” she faced her students, “is that no citizen can be denied the right to vote based on his race. It means that when they are grown, Isaac will be able to vote and Amos will be able to vote and Jimmy will be able to vote, no matter what they look like or who their fathers or grandfathers were. It is about equality. Our constitution guarantees equality, regardless of race. That equality extends or should extend into other areas as well. This classroom, for instance. No student should be denied the right to an education based on the color of their skin.”
She turned to grin at him. Yes, there it was, the righteous indignation in those dark eyes of hers that told him she thought she’d scored one on him, that she would never back down. He was suddenly as hot as a furnace.
“Yes, Jesse?” She left him steaming where he was and called on one of her students.
“Miss Singer, can you vote?” the boy asked.
“A very interesting question, Jesse.” Her gloating softened to seriousness. “No, in fact, I cannot. Women are not allowed to vote in federal elections, in the United States. However, women may vote in Montana state elections and for local contests as decided by the town council. But as an Indian I am denied that vote.”
Christian’s frown was a near match to the befuddled looks of the students. It didn’t seem right for Lily to be denied her say.
“Well that don’t seem fair now, does it?” Isaac echoed his thoughts from his seat at the back of the room.
“Women should have the vote everywhere. My mama says so.” Isabella Kuhn declared from her seat in the front row. Her certainty faltered. “She also says Indians shouldn’t vote.” She darted a pink-cheeked glance to Red Sun Boy across the aisle from her. “But I don’t believe that.”
Red Sun Boy smiled and sat straighter . Christian had to rub the bottom half of his face to keep from grinning. Samuel and Alicia Kuhn were in for a big surprise.
“Indians should have the vote too,” Amos added , refocusing his attention. “Mr. Avery just said that the Fifteenth Amendment means no one can be denied the vote based on their race, right?”
“No citizen can be denied the vote based on their race,” Lily corrected him. “Indians are not considered citizens, except on an individual basis. The United States government considers them as belonging to their tribe and not this country. Exceptions are only made for those Indians who perform acts of service for the U.S. Army or the government.”
“But weren’t they in this country before any of us?” Amos asked on.
“Do you belong to a tribe, Miss Singer?” Isabella interrupted before Lily could answer.
Her question was an innocent one, but Lily’s shoulders sagged just enough for Christian to notice. Every one of his protective instincts flared to life and he squirmed in the Trouble Chair.
“No.” Her answer was barely audible.
“Are you a citizen of the United States then?” Amos asked.
Christian waited on her answer with as much
The students blinked and scratched their heads as they thought.
“No one?” she asked the class. She turned to him, her lips curved up and her eyes alight with mischief. “All right then, Mr. Avery, do you know?”
“Yes,” he answered . He cleared his throat. “The most recent change to our Constitution was the addition of the Fifteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1870.”
“Very good, Mr. Avery,” Lily smiled at him like a wolf about to pounce. “And could you please tell the class what rights and freedoms the Fifteenth Amendment gives us?”
He itched to know what she was up to .
“‘ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’,” he quoted.
“Precisely.”
She smiled, so bitter, so sweet. Christian’s itching flooded to full-on boiling.
“What that means, class,” she faced her students, “is that no citizen can be denied the right to vote based on his race. It means that when they are grown, Isaac will be able to vote and Amos will be able to vote and Jimmy will be able to vote, no matter what they look like or who their fathers or grandfathers were. It is about equality. Our constitution guarantees equality, regardless of race. That equality extends or should extend into other areas as well. This classroom, for instance. No student should be denied the right to an education based on the color of their skin.”
She turned to grin at him. Yes, there it was, the righteous indignation in those dark eyes of hers that told him she thought she’d scored one on him, that she would never back down. He was suddenly as hot as a furnace.
“Yes, Jesse?” She left him steaming where he was and called on one of her students.
“Miss Singer, can you vote?” the boy asked.
“A very interesting question, Jesse.” Her gloating softened to seriousness. “No, in fact, I cannot. Women are not allowed to vote in federal elections, in the United States. However, women may vote in Montana state elections and for local contests as decided by the town council. But as an Indian I am denied that vote.”
Christian’s frown was a near match to the befuddled looks of the students. It didn’t seem right for Lily to be denied her say.
“Well that don’t seem fair now, does it?” Isaac echoed his thoughts from his seat at the back of the room.
“Women should have the vote everywhere. My mama says so.” Isabella Kuhn declared from her seat in the front row. Her certainty faltered. “She also says Indians shouldn’t vote.” She darted a pink-cheeked glance to Red Sun Boy across the aisle from her. “But I don’t believe that.”
Red Sun Boy smiled and sat straighter . Christian had to rub the bottom half of his face to keep from grinning. Samuel and Alicia Kuhn were in for a big surprise.
“Indians should have the vote too,” Amos added , refocusing his attention. “Mr. Avery just said that the Fifteenth Amendment means no one can be denied the vote based on their race, right?”
“No citizen can be denied the vote based on their race,” Lily corrected him. “Indians are not considered citizens, except on an individual basis. The United States government considers them as belonging to their tribe and not this country. Exceptions are only made for those Indians who perform acts of service for the U.S. Army or the government.”
“But weren’t they in this country before any of us?” Amos asked on.
“Do you belong to a tribe, Miss Singer?” Isabella interrupted before Lily could answer.
Her question was an innocent one, but Lily’s shoulders sagged just enough for Christian to notice. Every one of his protective instincts flared to life and he squirmed in the Trouble Chair.
“No.” Her answer was barely audible.
“Are you a citizen of the United States then?” Amos asked.
Christian waited on her answer with as much
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