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The Beginning
The Declaration of Independence marked the start of our new nation. However, right to vote during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods was restricted to property owners. Most of whom were white male Protestants over the age of 21. Native Americans, African Americans, indentured servants, Jews, Quakers, and Catholics were restricted from voting. -
States decide who can vote
The U.S. Constitution was adopted. However, delegates could not agree on uniform rules for suffrage at the Constitutional Convention. This ultimately gave states the power to regulate their own voting laws. In most cases, voting remained in the hands of white male landowners. -
The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern states during the Philadelphia Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17 of 1787. The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern states over the voting rights of slaves. When all was said and done, it was decided that three fifths of the total population of slaves would be counted for representation purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and appointing delegates. -
United States Naturalization Law
The United States Naturalization Law provided the first rules to be followed by the United States in the granting of national citizenship to immigrants. It limited naturalization to immigrants who were "free whites" of "good character." It excluded American Indians, indentured servants, slaves, free blacks, and Asians. This was the first step in giving immigrants the right to vote. -
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
British author Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects in 1792. In her book, Wollstonecraft argued for the equality of the sexes. This was also one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Following the Mexican-American War, the U.S. had to decide what do about the 80,000 free Mexican men residing in the territory that was conquered by the U.S. during the war. Articles VIII and IX of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ensured safety of existing property rights of Mexican citizens, and it gave residents the choice of having American or Mexican citizenship. Almost all chose American citizenship, which included full voting rights, although these rights were not always recognized. -
All white men are granted the right to vote
In 1856, North Carolina became the last state to remove the property ownership as a requirement to vote. This meant that all white males who were not criminals could vote, regardless of how much property they owned. -
Former slaves are granted citizenship
In 1868, the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. Former slaves were granted citizenship. However, women were still restricted from voting. Although the 14th amendment forbade states from denying any rights of citizenship, voting regulation was still left in the hands of the states. -
The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified
In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified. The Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed all non-white men the right to vote. It stated, "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." However, many states were able to effectively continue limiting voting rights of African Americans with the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, and other methods. -
Susan B. Anthony is arrested for voting
After voting on November 5 in the 1872 Presidential Election, Susan B. Anthony was arrested by a U.S. Deputy Marshal two weeks later. She was tried and convicted seven months later, despite her presentation of arguments based on the recently adopted Fourteenth Amendment. She and her supporters argued that women, as citizens, could not be denied access to the ballot. -
The Dawes Act
In 1887 Congress enacted the Dawes Act, extending citizenship to Native Americans who were willing to give up their tribal affiliations. Although the goal of this act was to undermine tribal culture, it was a step towards Native American suffrage. -
Indian Naturalization Act
In 1890, Congress passed the Indian Territory Naturalization Act, which allowed any member of an Indian tribe in Indian Territory to become a United States citizen. This provided an application process similar to immigrant naturalization. It was passed just 3 years after the Dawes Act. -
Women are granted the right to vote
The 19th amendment is ratified, and with it comes the right for all American women to vote. After more than a century of organized petitions, protests, and picketing, the political balance for women's suffrage finally shifted in 1918, when President Wilson changed his position to support an amendment. -
The Twenty-fourth Amendment is ratified
The Twenty-fourth Amendment prohibited states from denying the right of any citizen to vote for failure to pay a poll tax or any other tax to vote in elections for national officials. This Amendment was to solve the problems found mostly in southern states after Reconstruction, where poll taxes were meant to prevent African Americans from voting. At the time of this Amendment's ratification, five states still retained a poll tax: Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act was meant to force states to recognize the rights of individuals of all races. It was to prevent poll taxes and language tests that had previously been used. It prohibited states from imposing any, "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." -
The Voting Rights Act is amended
After facing widespread protests against the Vietnam War and resistance to the draft, Congress amended the Voting Rights Act. Senator Ted Kennedy convinced Congress to also add a provision guaranteeing citizens at least 18 years of age the right to vote in federal, state, and local elections. However, after a Supreme Court case of Oregon v. Mitchell, it was decided that Congress could regulate the voting age only in national elections, not state elections. -
Citizens Age Eighteen or Older are Granted the Right to Vote
In response to protests against the Vietnam War and to somewhat overrule the Supreme Court's decision in Oregon v. Mitchell (1970), the Twenty-sixth Amendment was adopted. The amendment prohibited states and the federal government from setting a voting age higher than eighteen.
