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Male Suffrage
Before the 1800s, the right to vote was extremely limited to people. Primarily in the 13 colonies, white male taxpayers and property owners were given the right to vote. Although, this only accounted for half the white male population. -
Women's Rights Movement Begins
In the 1820s and 30s, the right to vote had be extended to all white men, regardless of how much land or money they had. During that time, different reform groups were proliferating across the US, and in many of these, women played a large role. Also, American women were beginning to chafe from the "Cult of True Womanhood". All together, citizens were rethinking on what it meant to be a citizen or a woman in the US. -
All Men Can Vote
Due to westward expansion, nine new states were made by 1840. This states had new and forward-thinking, so they extended the right to vote to all white men over the age of 21. This change was ratified in all the states by 1840. -
Seneca Falls Convention
A group of abolition activists gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, to discuss the issue of women's rights. Most of the delegates agreed that American women individuals that deserved their own identities. All in all, they believed that women should have the right to vote. -
Women Are Able to Vote
On August 26th, 1920, the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. On November 2nd, 1920 (later that year), over 8 million women voted for the first time. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. The act banned the use of literacy tests, provided for federal oversight of voter registration in areas where less than 50% of the non-white population had not registered to vote, and authorized the U.S. attorney general to investigate the use of poll taxes in state and local elections.