What idea did a convention of African Americans in Nashville argue in January 1865?

• A. Democracy should make every man feel personally interested in its welfare.
• B. Democracy should be limited to landowning white men.
• C. Democracy should be suspended during Reconstruction.
• D. Democracy should be achieved only through violence.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that African American leaders in Nashville were arguing for a democracy that includes and engages Black men as full participants. In January 1865, they pressed for political rights and a broad, inclusive electorate, believing democracy should involve every man and make him personally invested in its welfare. This reflects the push for universal suffrage and civil rights during the early Reconstruction era, not a restricted or forced alternative.

So the statement that democracy should make every man feel personally interested in its welfare best captures their stance. It contrasts with restricting suffrage to landowning white men, suspending democracy during Reconstruction, or pursuing democracy by violence, which do not fit the movement’s goals of broad, participatory citizenship for newly freed people.