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by jandrewrogers
487 days ago
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> I believe when this document was written, the only people allowed to vote were white males not in indentured servitude. No, the rules for who could vote were determined by the individual States. Women and Africans could vote in New Jersey when this document was written, for example. Later Constitutional amendments made the practices much more consistent across States. Something to keep in mind is that people voting for Presidents and Senators is a 20th century invention, voting rights were much more local back then. |
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> Suffrage was available to most women and African Americans in New Jersey immediately upon the formation of the state. The first New Jersey state constitution (of 1776) allowed any person who owned a certain value of property to become a voter. In 1790, the state constitution was changed to specify that voters were "he or she". Politicians seeking office deliberately courted women voters....
But, unfortunately:
> Under the auspices of election reform, in 1807 a "progressive" law was passed which abolished the property requirement for voting, boosting the number of eligible voters, while explicitly barring women and black voters. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_New_Je...
Thank you for that!