Simone Lawson
The Constitution of the United States of America was ratified on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The Constitution did not include an express protection of the right to vote, and it was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures limited voting to white males who owned land, with some states also requiring voters to be Christian.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 1788 |
| Who could vote | White males who owned land |
| Christians (in some states) |
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What You'll Learn
- The Constitution took effect in 1789 after the first federal elections
- Voting was generally limited to white males who owned land
- Some states also used religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote
- The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, drastically expanding the right to vote
- The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited poll taxes for federal elections
The Constitution took effect in 1789 after the first federal elections
The Constitution took effect in early 1789 after the first federal elections. It did not include an express protection of the right to vote, and it was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures generally limited voting to white males who owned land. Some states also utilised religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote.
The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. Until the new Constitution was ratified, the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation. That document was tailored to a newly formed nation made of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries, and it quickly became clear to some of America’s leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralised government. New York’s Alexander Hamilton thus led the call for a constitutional convention to re-evaluate the nation’s governing document.
On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. By January 9, 1788, five states of the nine necessary for ratification had approved the Constitution: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.
Gradually, state legislatures began to slightly expand voting rights to non-landowning white males. However, it wasn’t until 1870, when the 15th Amendment was ratified, that the right to vote was drastically expanded at least in the Constitution’s text by ensuring the right to vote could not be denied based on race. Despite this forward progress over time, expanding the franchise did not come without pushback. Some state legislatures implemented strategic policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests to reduce voting among people of colour, Native Americans, immigrants and low-income populations.
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Voting was generally limited to white males who owned land
The Constitution of the United States of America was ratified on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it.
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited Congress and the states from implementing a poll tax or other types of tax for federal elections. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, stated that no citizen aged 18 or older may be denied the right to vote on the account of age. Despite this forward progress over time, expanding the franchise did not come without pushback. Some state legislatures implemented strategic policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests to reduce voting among people of colour, Native Americans, immigrants and low-income populations. These policies remained in effect for decades until Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Some states also used religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote
The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The Constitution took effect in early 1789 after the first federal elections.
The Constitution did not include an express protection of the right to vote, and it was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures generally limited voting to white males who owned land. Some states also used religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote.
Gradually, state legislatures began to slightly expand voting rights to non-landowning white males. However, it wasn’t until 1870, when the 15th Amendment was ratified, that the right to vote was drastically expanded by ensuring the right to vote could not be denied based on race.
Despite this forward progress over time, expanding the franchise did not come without pushback. Some state legislatures implemented strategic policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests to reduce voting among people of colour, Native Americans, immigrants and low-income populations. These policies remained in effect for decades until Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, drastically expanding the right to vote
The Constitution of the United States of America was ratified on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The Constitution took effect in early 1789 after the first federal elections. It did not include an express protection of the right to vote, and it was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures limited voting to white males who owned land. Some states also utilised religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote.
Gradually, state legislatures began to slightly expand voting rights to non-landowning white males. However, it wasn’t until 1870 when the 15th Amendment was ratified that the right to vote was drastically expanded. The 15th Amendment ensured that the right to vote could not be denied based on race.
Despite this forward progress, expanding the franchise did not come without pushback. Some state legislatures implemented strategic policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests to reduce voting among people of colour, Native Americans, immigrants and low-income populations. These policies remained in effect for decades until Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act was designed to make sure state and local governments could no longer pass laws or policies that denied citizens the right to vote based on race and other immutable characteristics.
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited Congress and the states from implementing a poll tax or other types of tax for federal elections. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, stated that no citizen aged 18 or older could be denied the right to vote on the account of age.
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The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited poll taxes for federal elections
The US Constitution was ratified in 1788, but it did not include an express protection of the right to vote. It was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures limited voting to white males who owned land. Some states also used religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote.
Gradually, state legislatures began to expand voting rights to non-landowning white males. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, drastically expanding the right to vote by ensuring it could not be denied based on race.
In 1964, the 24th Amendment was ratified, prohibiting Congress and the states from implementing a poll tax or other types of tax for federal elections. Poll taxes had been adopted in various Southern states after the Civil War to limit the political participation of African Americans. The 24th Amendment abolished the use of poll taxes (or any other tax) as a precondition for voting in federal elections. It was proposed by Congress in 1962 and ratified by the states in 1964. The 24th Amendment did not mention poll taxes in state elections, but the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to outlaw the practice nationwide.
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Frequently asked questions
1788.
Generally, only white males who owned land.
No. Some states also required voters to be Christian.
No. It was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote.
