Isabella Carter
The original U.S. Constitution did not define voting rights for citizens and until 1870, only white men were allowed to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races. However, this did not mean that Black Americans could exercise their right to vote freely as they continued to face barriers such as state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the grandfather clause, and intimidation. This raises the question of how many Black people were involved in the signing of the Constitution, which granted voting rights exclusively to white men.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of black people who signed the Constitution | 0 |
| Voting rights for black people in the original Constitution | None |
| Voting rights for black people after the 15th Amendment | Granted |
| Voting rights for black people in practice after the 15th Amendment | Denied by state constitutions, laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the "grandfather clause", and intimidation |
| Voting rights for black people after the 24th Amendment | Partially addressed issues by prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections |
| Voting rights for black people after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Secured voting rights for adult citizens of all races and genders through federal laws enforcing the amendments |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution did not define voting rights for citizens, only white men could vote until 1870
- The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) extended voting rights to men of all races
- African Americans were denied the right to vote by state constitutions, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation
- The US Constitution did not mention black people, women, or Jews
- The three-fifths clause was a notorious constitutional provision relating to black slavery
The US Constitution did not define voting rights for citizens, only white men could vote until 1870
The US Constitution did not initially define voting rights for citizens, leaving states to set voting requirements. Consequently, voting was restricted to white male landowners, with some states further limiting this right to only those who owned property. This exclusionary approach to voting rights meant that in the late 1700s, only about 6% of the population could vote.
During the early 19th century, some states began to relax property requirements for voting, with New York removing property requirements for white males in 1821, and North Carolina becoming the last state to abolish this restriction in 1856. However, these changes did not extend voting rights to people of colour, who continued to face barriers to voting. For example, the 1828 presidential election was the first in which non-property-owning white males could vote in most states, but "persons of colour" in New York were still required to own $250 worth of property to vote.
It wasn't until the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 that voting rights were officially extended to men of all races. This amendment prevented states from denying the right to vote based on "race, colour, or previous condition of servitude." However, this amendment alone was not enough to secure voting rights for African Americans, as they continued to face barriers to voting through state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, "grandfather clauses," and intimidation.
It wasn't until the passage of the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964 that poll taxes were prohibited in federal elections, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 further secured voting rights for adult citizens of all races and genders by enforcing the constitutional amendments through federal laws. Despite these advancements, the struggle for voting rights continued, with voting rights activists facing violent opposition in the South, including arrests, beatings, and even killings by the Ku Klux Klan.
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The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) extended voting rights to men of all races
The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races. The amendment was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment, coming after the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude".
The struggle for voting rights for African Americans was a long and difficult one, and the Fifteenth Amendment was a significant milestone in this struggle. During Reconstruction, 16 Black men served in Congress, and 2,000 Black men served in elected local, state, and federal positions. This progress was met with violent opposition from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), who used paramilitary tactics to prevent Black people from voting. Despite the protections afforded by the Fifteenth Amendment, African Americans continued to face barriers to voting, including state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, "grandfather clauses", and intimidation.
The women's suffrage movement opposed the Fifteenth Amendment because it did not include protections against sex discrimination in voter laws. State constitutions often connected race and sex by limiting suffrage to "white male citizens". The Fourteenth Amendment had also explicitly protected only male citizens, further divorcing the civil rights of women from those of Black men. While the Fifteenth Amendment was celebrated by Black communities and abolitionist societies as the nation's "second birth", it was clear that the struggle for full participation in American public and civic life was far from over.
It wasn't until the passage of the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964 that poll taxes in federal elections were prohibited, addressing one of the many barriers faced by African Americans in exercising their right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 further secured voting rights for adult citizens of all races and genders by enforcing the amendments through federal laws. This Act was extended and amended several times, demonstrating the ongoing need to protect and expand voting rights for marginalized communities.
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African Americans were denied the right to vote by state constitutions, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation
The struggle for African Americans to gain equal voting rights in the United States has been a long and arduous journey. Despite the Fifteenth Amendment (ratified in 1870) extending voting rights to men of all races, African Americans continued to be denied the right to vote through various means, including state constitutions, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation.
State constitutions and laws played a significant role in disenfranchising African Americans. Even after the Fifteenth Amendment, some states, particularly former Confederate states, passed laws and amended their constitutions to explicitly restrict the voting rights of African Americans. This was often done through literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory measures.
Poll taxes were a financial barrier imposed on African Americans to prevent them from voting. The Twenty-fourth Amendment (ratified in 1964) addressed this issue by prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections. However, it was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that poll taxes were completely outlawed, ensuring that no citizen would be denied the right to vote due to their economic status.
Literacy tests were another tool used to disenfranchise African Americans. These tests were often administered in a discriminatory manner, with African Americans being subjected to more stringent standards than white voters. The tests were designed to be difficult and served as a barrier to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.
Intimidation and violence were also common tactics employed to deny African Americans their voting rights. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan used threats, beatings, and even murder to suppress the African American vote. In 1964, during the Freedom Summer campaign, three young civil rights activists, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, were killed by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi. Additionally, hundreds of protestors marching for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 were met with violence and blocked by state troopers and deputized white men.
The cumulative effect of these barriers—state constitutions, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation—effectively denied African Americans their right to vote, despite the guarantees of the Fifteenth Amendment. It would take the collective efforts of activists, legislators, and legal reforms, including the Twenty-fourth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to begin dismantling these obstacles and secure voting rights for African Americans.
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The US Constitution did not mention black people, women, or Jews
The US Constitution, written in 1787, did not mention black people, women, or Jews. The original Constitution was unamended and had several severe defects that are considered a matter of national shame today. For instance, it lacked the Thirteenth Amendment, implying that it permitted slavery to continue. The document also failed to secure the right of women to vote and did not combat religious intolerance.
While black slavery was a significant concern during the Constitutional Convention, the final document did not include any terms related to slavery or race. Instead, circumlocutions were used to avoid the use of the word "slave". For example, the Constitution refers to "persons held to service or labor" instead of slaves. Additionally, the three-fifths clause, which states that "three-fifths" of black people were considered in the original Constitution, is often criticised as perpetuating the constitutional status of black slavery.
The Constitution also did not define voting rights for citizens, and until 1870, only white men were allowed to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races. However, African Americans continued to face obstacles to voting due to state constitutions, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation. It is worth noting that the original Constitution also did not explicitly address the rights of women or their ability to vote.
The omission of Jews from the Constitution is significant because, for over 1500 years, they had not been treated as equal citizens anywhere in the world. By not singling them out, the Constitution made Jews full citizens of a nation for the first time in Diaspora history. The First Amendment, which prohibits the establishment of religion and protects the free exercise thereof, further secured the rights of Jews and other religious groups.
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The three-fifths clause was a notorious constitutional provision relating to black slavery
No Black people signed the US Constitution. Until 1870, only white men were allowed to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement between delegates from the Northern and Southern states at the 1787 US Constitutional Convention. The compromise stated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be considered when determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. This gave Southern states more power in the House relative to the Northern states.
The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney of South Carolina. On the first day of the convention, Pinckney proposed that a "House of Delegates" be determined through the apportionment of "one Member for every thousand Inhabitants, 3/5 of Blacks included." While the proposal was initially rejected, the convention unanimously accepted the principle that representation in the House of Representatives would be proportional to the relative state populations.
The Three-Fifths Compromise can be seen as favoring the Southern states due to their large slave populations. It gave slaveholding states the right to count three-fifths of their enslaved population when allocating representatives to Congress, leading to perpetual overrepresentation in national politics. This compromise also influenced taxation, as the same three-fifths ratio was used to determine the federal tax contribution required of each state.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a contentious issue, reflecting the tensions between the Northern and Southern states over slavery. It is notable that neither the word "slave" nor "slavery" appears in this clause or anywhere in the unamended Constitution, despite the significant impact of this provision on the representation and taxation related to enslaved individuals.
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Frequently asked questions
None. Of the 41 delegates present, 38 became signatories, and John Dickinson authorized another delegate, George Read, to sign on his behalf. All of the signatories were white men.
Yes, the Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races. However, this amendment was not enough, as African Americans were still denied the right to vote due to state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the "grandfather clause," and intimidation.
No, Blacks, women, and Jews were not mentioned in the original Constitution. However, it is important to note that Black slavery existed and was given constitutional status through the "three-fifths clause."
