Voices (Heard and Unheard) Throughout History

In the beginning, not all American citizens were able to vote. It took many years and many obstacles had to be overcome for so many voices to be heard.

Voting in America began with the passage of the U.S Constitution in 1787 that gave white male property owners ages 21 and up the right to vote. This represented only a very small portion of the population. Over the next several decades a series of acts were passed that allowed ALL white men over he age of twenty one the right to vote, whether they owned land or not. By 1843 all white men over the age of 21 could vote.

In 1870, after the Civil War and the passage of the15th Amendment, all men over the age of 21, no matter what their ethic background was, were given he right to vote. One may say that it took a long time for the allowance of nonwhite people to vote, but this is 50 years earlier compared to how long it took for America to allow women vote. Women over the age of 21 were finally given the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment in 1920.

Despite having the right to vote, many minorities still weren't permitted to vote because of discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and other efforts to keep them from voting. It wasn't until 1965 that literacy tests and other acts to prevent minorities from voting were outlawed with the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1971 the legal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years old, largely because young soldiers, who were too young to vote, were dying in the Vietnam War. The voting registration process continues to evolve and change to make it easier for as many citizens to vote as possible. When the voices of some are not heard, efforts are often undertaken to make it possible for them share their input, such as with absentee ballots and National Voter Registration Act.

Unfortunately, efforts are also sometimes made to discourage people from voting, but that will be discussed in a later post...