Aydin E: How Did We Get Here?-Suffrage by Aydin Erdonmez

Introduction

aerdonme — 2024-01-19 15:28:44 UTC

Suffrage, as per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as the right to vote. The first instances of suffrage were in the ancient Greek city states; however, voting rights in Greece as well as the Roman limited suffrage to wealthier males, silently excluding the poor as well as women. The US, as a democratic nation whose ruler, as well as the people's representatives, were elected by popular vote, has also faced similar. From the suffragists of the 19th century to the freedmen plagued by poll taxes and literacy tests and thus practically deprived of voting rights to today's disenfranchised felons, the fight for the vote has continued for nearly 2 centuries and is an integral part of our nation's history.

Sources:

“Suffrage Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, 30 November 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffrage. Accessed 19 January 2024.

“Women's suffrage | Definition, History, Causes, Effects, Leaders, & Facts.” Britannica, 26 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage#/media/1/646779/214297. Accessed 19 January 2024.

The start of women's suffrage

aerdonme — 2024-01-22 02:07:34 UTC

From the founding of the USA, women were practically all deprived of suffrage rights. However, only when women took issue with it was their exclusion made explicit. Women started fighting for their voting rights in the 19th century, and the suffrage movement was closely tied to the abolitionist movement from the start. Women such as Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton realized that like slaves, women needed improved rights. On 7/19~7/20 1848, a convention regarding women's rights to suffrage, equal employment and equal education was held in Seneca Falls, New York, Stanton's, which marked the start of the women's suffrage movement.

Sources:

“Women's suffrage - US History, 19th Amendment, Voting Rights.” Britannica, 16 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States. Accessed 21 January 2024.

The fight for women's vote

aerdonme — 2024-01-22 14:10:47 UTC

Other conventions were held across the nation as the movement gained traction, but at first, the only known way to give women the vote was to amend the state constitutions, one by one. Several such attempts in this regard were made after the Civil War, and despite the suffrage movement's success in Wyoming Territory (full suffrage rights for women in 1869), it soon became clear that the preferable path towards political equality for women was an amendment of the federal constitution.

Sources:

“Women's suffrage - US History, 19th Amendment, Voting Rights.” Britannica, 16 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States. Accessed 21 January 2024.

“Women's suffrage - US History, 19th Amendment, Voting Rights.” Britannica, 18 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States#/media/1/646779/242459. Accessed 22 January 2024.

The movement's success

aerdonme — 2024-01-23 15:23:31 UTC

The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was co-founded in 1869 by Stanton and prominent suffragist Susan B. Anthony with the goal of amendment. Another group, the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) founded by Lucy Stone, which stuck to the original plan of amending state constitutions, was founded the same year. The two groups united in 1890 and cooperated for nearly 30 years until the dream of women's suffrage was realized. Wyoming's statehood in 1890 saw it become the first to guarantee women voting rights in its constitution. After this, vigorous campaigns were conducted across the nation to persuade state legislatures to pass amendments to state constitutions conferring full voting rights to women. Over the next 25 years, several states enfranchised their women.

This led to the number of Congressmen partially elected by women to increase, thus increasing the support for a suffrage amendment to the Constitution in Congress. Women received equal suffrage in 15 states by 1918.

Sources:

Paul, Alice, and Rheta Childe Dorr. “The Suffragist.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suffragist#/media/File:The_Suffragist_11-22-1913_(6939611544).jpg. Accessed 23 January 2024.

“Women's suffrage - US History, 19th Amendment, Voting Rights.” Britannica, 16 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States. Accessed 21 January 2024.

The Amendment passes; women have the vote!

aerdonme — 2024-01-24 14:44:46 UTC

Women's contribution to the war effort during World War 1 broke down much of the remaining opposition to female suffrage. Previous suffrage amendments to the federal constitution were proposed in 1879 and 1914, but the 1878 one was overwhelmingly defeated, while the 1914 one narrowly failed to gain the 2/3 Congressional support to send it to the state legislatures. The successful 19th amendment was proposed in 1919 and ratified in 1920. Women thus gained political equality.

Sources:

“Nineteenth Amendment | History & Facts.” Britannica, 26 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nineteenth-Amendment#/media/1/415657/146957. Accessed 24 January 2024.

“Women's suffrage - US History, 19th Amendment, Voting Rights.” Britannica, 16 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States. Accessed 21 January 2024.

Wealthy whites use amendment loopholes to suppress black voters

aerdonme — 2024-01-24 15:39:08 UTC

The end of the Civil War marked the proposal and ratification of the "Reconstruction Amendments", the 13th, 14th, and 15th, which freed all slaves, gave all non-Native Americans born in the US citizenship, and ruled that a male citizen's voting rights couldn't be restricted based on previous servitude, respectively. These amendments were intended to guarantee freedmen's rights. However, the southern states were intent on establishing white supremacy. Southern legislators attempted to use loopholes in the 15th amendment to enact poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, felony disenfranchisement, as well as intimidation tactics. These laws disproportionately affected black people, as poor illiterate whites could claim the vote based on grandfather clauses, as their grandfathers could vote.

Sources:

Bennett, Jessi. ““On Account of Race”: Disenfranchisement of Black Voters in Virginia.” The UncommonWealth, 9 September 2020, https://uncommonwealth.virginiamemory.com/blog/2020/09/09/on-account-of-race-disenfranchisement-of-black-voters-in-virginia/. Accessed 24 January 2024.

Evans, Farrell. How Jim Crow-Era Laws Suppressed the African American Vote for Generations | HISTORY, 13 May 2021, https://www.history.com/news/jim-crow-laws-black-vote. Accessed 24 January 2024.

Herrick, JW. “"The first vote" / AW [monogram] ; drawn by A.R. Waud.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00651117/. Accessed 24 January 2024.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 destroys discriminatory voting restrictions

aerdonme — 2024-01-25 15:25:42 UTC

The act aimed to overcome restrictions on the 15th Amendment rights of African-Americans and other minority groups. Earlier legislation to protect black voting rights was only partially successful, but in 1964, poll taxes for voting in federal offices were abolished. The following year, President Lyndon B. Johnson, called for the implementation of comprehensive federal legislation to protect voting rights. The subsequent Voting Rights Act suspended literacy tests and provided federal approval for changes to voting laws and procedures. The act resulted in a marked decrease in voter disparity between whites and non-whites. The overall proportion of white to black voters in the south before the act ranged from 2:1 to 3:1; after the act it was roughly equal. However, in recent years, the Supreme Court has struck down a section of this law considered to be outdated, allowing several states to implement voting restrictions that would have been blocked by the federal government if that section wasn't repealed.

Sources:

Duignan, Brian. “Voting Rights Act | Definition, History, & Facts.” Britannica, 19 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Voting-Rights-Act. Accessed 25 January 2024.

Evans, Farrell. How Jim Crow-Era Laws Suppressed the African American Vote for Generations | HISTORY, 13 May 2021, https://www.history.com/news/jim-crow-laws-black-vote. Accessed 24 January 2024.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. | Biography, Speeches, Facts, & Assassination.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr#/media/1/318311/12356. Accessed 25 January 2024.

The origins of felon disenfranchisement

aerdonme — 2024-01-26 15:00:04 UTC

Felon disenfranchisement can be traced back to the attempts from wealthy whites to suppress black voters and dilute their voting power. These laws proliferated during the Jim Crow era with the explicit and open purpose of preventing Black Americans from voting. These laws continue to disproportionately impact non-whites today. As of 2020, over 5.17 million people were denied the vote based on current or previous conviction. By 2023, 4.6 million were denied the vote based on felony.

Sources:

“ESTIMATES OF PEOPLE DENIED VOTING RIGHTS DUE TO A FELONY CONVICTION.” The Sentencing Project, 15 October 2020, https://www.sentencingproject.org/app/uploads/2022/08/Locked-Out-2020.pdf. Accessed 26 January 2024.

“It's Time to Abolish Felony Disenfranchisement. Here's Why.” Campaign Legal Center, 28 June 2023, https://campaignlegal.org/update/its-time-abolish-felony-disenfranchisement-heres-why. Accessed 26 January 2024.

The fight against felon disenfranchisement

aerdonme — 2024-01-26 15:21:09 UTC

As of 2023, only 2 states-Vermont and Maine-as well as the District of Colombia never strip people of the right to vote for a felony conviction, even when they are incarcerated. However, a growing number of states are taking steps to abolish felony disenfranchisement. Current laws disproportionately silence non-white voters and serve no legitimate purpose in the criminal legal system. Abolishing these laws would also prevent confusion related to these laws that could cause former felons who can vote to be denied the vote.

Sources:

Conclusion

aerdonme — 2024-01-26 23:24:49 UTC

The fight for universal suffrage continues today, as seen in the controversial issue of felon disenfranchisement. A democracy can reach its greatest potential only if all citizens are allowed the vote. The US has come a long way from the days when women were automatically excluded from political participation, but it still some ways to go in terms of felon suffrage rights. As a nation in which voting is both a right and a duty, guaranteeing that everyone can express their political opinion and appoint elected officials whom they consider fit for the job without unreasonable restrictions is increasingly important.

Sources: