Voting Rights by Edoardo, and Da Vonnia

EDITORS: EDOARDO, DA VONNIA

Voting Rights 

American colonists declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776, they struggle to create a representative Government, the state constitution established voting rights, but only for certain citizens. These small amount of citizens were 21 years of age, and generally were all white. Because of the fact that the Articles of Confederation did not address voting rights, the existing state law remained the same. In 1788, a new constitution was established to replace the articles of confederation, but it did not address voting right to many people in the United States. Over the years the right to vote expanded to more and more citizens. Which allow them to practice local and national government. 

During 1789, property qualification were more open in some states(Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Georgia, and Vermont) to include all male taxpayers, and woman were not allow to vote. Some states allowed free African Americans to vote.

During 1870, the fifteenth amendment attempted to guarantee African American males the right to vote. The amendment stated"to vote shall not be denied or abridged[limited] by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." One way government limited the African American vote, was through poll taxes, which were finally abolished in 1964 by the 24th amendment. 

During 1920, the nineteenth amendment granting voting rights to woman, was finally ratified. Four years later, the nineteenth Amendment gave citizenship to Native Americans, which gave them the right to vote. 

During 1971, the twenty- sixth Amendment guaranteed the right to vote citizens" eighteen years of age or older"