Voting Rights in America

By emma_coker

  • Introduction of Voting Rights

    The Constitution allows states to set voting requirements for their citizens. Only white, tax-paying, land-owning males were eligible to vote. This only allowed about 6% of the population to vote.

  • The Naturalization Act of 1790

    Allowed white men born outside of the US to become citizens and vote.

  • Loss of Voting Rights

    From 1792-1838, freed black males lose the right to vote in several Northern states.

  • Universal White Male Suffrage

    By 1792-1856, all states dropped the property qualifications for white men. New states did not adopt the property qualification, but 3 states approved the poll tax qualification.

  • 14th Amendment

    Citizenship is guaranteed to all persons born or naturalized in the US, which set the stage for future voting rights.

  • 15th Amendment

    Voting can't be denied to any citizen of color, or different race.

  • Dawes Act

    Allowed Native Americans voting rights

  • Poll Tax

  • Literacy Qualifications

    1890s-1960s, voters required to be able to read and write

  • Grandfather Clause

    added to Louisiana Constitution; any man , or his descendants, who had voted in the state before the adoption of the 15th Amendment

  • 17th Amendment

    Allows citizens to elect their senators

  • 19th Amendment

    White women's suffrage

  • Smith v Allwright

    supreme court case in that ruled it unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries (voided white primaries)

  • Civil Rights Act of 1960

    a law designed to further secure the right to vote for blacks and to meet problems arising from racial upheavals in the south

  • 23rd Amendment

    Gave residents of Washington DC right to vote

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places

  • Civil Rights Act of 1965

    aka Voting Rights Act, gave federal protection to black voters which allowed many more to vote and participate in the government

  • The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970

    extended the voting rights law for another 5 years

  • Literacy Tests Banned

  • Voting Age

    Age requirement lowered to 18

  • Another Extension

    Voting Rights Laws extended for another 25 years

  • Language-Minority Provisions

    Law's language-minority provisions revised; they now apply to any community that has a minority-language population of 10,000 or more

  • Felon Voting Rights

    28 states changed their laws on felon voting rights, mostly to restore rights

  • Voting Rights Act deemed unconstitutional

    Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional.