Voting Rights
Voting rights have been fought for by a variety of groups throughout the history of the United States. Despite the fundamentals of the Constitution, not every citizen was allowed the right to vote when the nation was formed. Over the course of time, various legislative and social actions spurred changes in voting rights laws. Eventually, nearly 200 years after the nation was founded, full universal suffrage was constitutionally guaranteed. However, despite these laws, a number of voter's rights are still violated today.
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Considerations
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Following the ratification of the Constitution, only white male adult property owners were allowed to vote. This accounted for only about 16 percent of the population of the United States. In addition, until 1810, there were numerous religious prerequisites for voting. Depending on the community, certain religious factions could not participate in elections. In 1810, legislative action finally eliminated religious limitations, opening up the voting booths to a number of new adult males. The requirements that white males own property and pay taxes was also eliminated in 1850. From that point on, nearly all adult white males could vote throughout the country.
15th Amendment
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The Civil War came to an end in the mid-1860s. During Reconstruction, many proposals for what rights to give the newly freed slaves were touted. However, after a long debate and protracted legislative process, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress and ratified by the states. The 1870 law gave all male former slaves the right to vote and also guaranteed protection for voting rights of all adult male citizens, regardless of race. The 15th Amendment, however, was not fully adhered to by a number of communities.
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Women's Suffrage
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Throughout the early era of the United States, the women's suffrage movement attempted to gain voting rights for the female population. The first attempt at legislative action occurred in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19, 1848. The attempt failed, but the movement continued to gain nationwide support, most notably from suffragette Susan B. Anthony. When the 15th Amendment was passed, a number of women were angry that they were still disenfranchised despite their assistance in the Civil War. A number of states responded by passing their own laws to give women voting rights. The first state to do this was Wyoming in 1869.
By 1913, 12 states in the Union mandated the right for women to vote. At the same time, the National Women's Party began to leverage its new-found voting powers to pressure Congress to pass a universal suffrage law. In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed, granting nationwide suffrage for all women, regardless of race.
Voter Rights Act
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During the 1960s, a number of public and legislative events helped bring the idea of full suffrage and federally mandated voting rights to the nation. The first legislative act was the 24th Amendment, which banned the concept of a poll tax in 1964. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, the following year. This helped bring national attention to the disparity of voter's rights in the African-American community.
The Voting Rights Act was first passed in 1965. This guaranteed the rights of all citizens, including minorities, to vote. It also banned literacy tests. It was expanded in 1970, 1975 and 1982. Although a court case was brought before the Supreme Court the following year, South Carolina v. Katzenbach upheld the law.
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A number of attempts to limit the rights of voters have been used by groups throughout history. In 1855, Connecticut passed the nation's first literacy testing for individuals attempting to vote. This was followed 2 years later by Massachusetts. The idea behind these tests was to prevent Irish-Catholic immigrant men from voting. Following the passage of the 15th Amendment, Mississippi joined the literacy test states to help keep African-Americans from voting. While these tests were mandated on the white population as well, the state added a grandfather clause that allowed any descendants of individuals who could vote before 1870 to be able to participate regardless of literacy.
While literacy tests were abolished in the mid-20th century, attempts at limiting voter rights continue into the 21st century. Concepts such as caging, which purges individuals from the voter rolls, as well as unfounded challenges at the voting booth continue to disenfranchise individuals.
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References
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