-U.S. Constitution did not guarantee voting rights

-States decide their own voting laws

Article 1, Section 4-States that election rules are set by each state.

-New Jersey allowed free Black men and unmarried women with property to vote

Naturalization Act-Limited citizenship to free white people, affecting voting access

-Adult men in several northern states could vote

-No new states after 1800 had property requirements for voting

-New Jersey women lost their right to vote in 1807

-Women advocated for voting rights

-The 1828 presidential election marked a turning point

-Only white men were eligible to vote

Mexican-American War 1848

-Women and men petitioned for women’s rights

Reconstruction Era-1865 to 1877

-All states were readmitted with provisions protecting black voters

-13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment helped former slaves to have rights and the ability to vote

15th Amendment-Prohibited voting discrimination based on race

-States introduced poll taxes and literacy tests for Black voters

-In 1877, Jim Crow laws were introduced which restrained voting rights for former slaves

-Southern states started to prevent non-white citizens to vote

-Women sought rights for women through protests

-Women started to gain voting rights from states like Utah and Wyoming

19th Amendment-Secured women’s right to vote in 1920

-Voting rights act of 1965 wanted to eliminate racial discrimination

-Activists faced violence from the Selma to Montgomery marches

-Increased the amount of Black voters

24th Amendment-Outlawed poll taxes in federal elections in 1964

26th Amendment-Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971