Eligibility to vote in the United States was first established in the Constitution as well as its amendments. However, there is no specific federal law, which means that each state is given considerable judgement to enact qualifications for suffrage and candidacy within its state lines. Interestingly enough, not everyone knows about America’s long fight to ensure everyone can vote. While this can still be debated as an ongoing problem, it is important to know the history of suffrage surrounding certain groups in America.
In 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, only land owning males could vote. These were mainly white …show more content…
In 1963 and 1964 Large-scale civil rights efforts in the South to register African Americans to vote are heightened. This became a challenge due to state officials refusal to allow African Americans to register by using voting taxes, literacy tests and violent intimidation. That was until 1964, when the 24th Amendment passed. It guarantees that the right to vote in federal elections will not be denied for failure to pay any tax. Then in 1965 Grassroots movement forces change in law Voting Rights Act passed. It forbade states from imposing discriminatory restrictions on who can vote. In 1966 Civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael continue the Civil Rights march and thousands of African Americans register to