Discuss the American journey to “one person, one vote” (Research Paper Sample)

America’s Voting History
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America’s Voting History
While a majority of American adults enjoy the right to vote, the journey to this development has been rigorous. In the early 19th century, states granted voting rights only to property owners, while restricting the extremely poor from the exercise. Until the 1960s, a majority of African Americans could not participate in the polls in the South, the right to vote as enshrined in the 15th Amendment notwithstanding. Despite voting massively during the Reconstruction, most African Americans were denied the right to vote on the basis of race and color. In scores of regions, women did not enjoy the franchise until 1920, when the 19th Amendment erased the restrictions guided by gender and sex. In this way, throughout the American history, the right to vote has not been universal, with several factors coining the expansion and contraction of social and political dynamics.
Voting Rights Timeline
In 1776, individual state legislations regulated voting, allowing only while males 21 years and older to participate. Considered wealthy through land ownership, these individuals had a stake in the economy compared to their destitute counterparts. According to National Women’s History Museum, this was the epitome of electoral discrimination, with a few sections deciding the country’s political direction. In 1868, the 14th Amendment granted full citizen rights, voting rights included, to all men born or naturalized in the country.