Voting rights took place at different times

At its founding, American democracy in 1776 held the promise of self-government by reason of voting. At this time not all citizens could vote, only about 6 percent of the population, and only those who owned property were believed to have this right.

Soon after the U.S. Constitution was written, this started to change as in 1787 it gave the states the power to regulate voting in the states, and to extend voting rights to those without property. In most cases, voting remained in the hands of white male Christian landowners. When The Naturalization Act of 1790 was passed, it explicitly stated that only “free white immigrants can become naturalized citizens,” and with that the right to vote.

In 1792 New Hampshire became the first state to eliminate property requirements for voting. Maryland became the first state to remove religious barriers for voting in 1828. In 1856 all white men were given the right to vote.

Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote in 1869 as part of its constitution. The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote in every state on May 21, 1919.

The emancipation of African slaves, January 1, 1863, and then the granting of citizenship and the right to vote in the 14th, 1868, and 15th, 1870, amendments began the path to voting for African American citizens. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped this community begin to participate more fully in voting.

Native Americans also faced discriminatory legislation regarding their citizenship and right to vote. The 14th Amendment did not apply to Native Americans who were considered at that time to have allegiance to their tribes and governed by tribal laws. The Dawes Act of 1887 offered native people a path to citizenship who were willing to give up their tribal associations. Two-thirds of Native Americans became citizens in this manner. In 1947 voting rights were given to all Native Americans.

In 1971 the voting age was lowered to 18 years old by ratification of the 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment was a result of Vietnam War protests believing that people who are old enough to fight are old enough to vote.