-
Constituition is Ratified
Only white male adult property owners have the right to vote. -
Religious qualifications dropped
Connecticut adopts the nation's first literacy test for voting. Massachusetts follows suit in 1857. The tests were implemented to discriminate against Irish-Catholic immigrants. -
Property requirements dropped
Property ownership and tax requirements eliminated by 1850. Almost all adult white males could vote -
15th Amendment
it gives former slaves the right to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race. The Supreme Court outlaws "white primaries" in Smith v. Allwright (Texas). In Texas, and other states, primaries were conducted by private associations, which, by definion, could exclude whomever they chose. The Court declares the nomination process to be a public process bound by the terms of 15th Amendment. -
19th Amendment
Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections. guarantees women's suffrage. -
23rd Amendment
allows voters of the District of Columbia to participate in presidential elections. -
24th Amendment
bans the poll tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mounts a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, to draw national attention to African-American voting rights. -
26th Amendment
The Federal "Motor Voter Law" takes effect, making it easier to register to vote.