When our country was first founded, in most states only white men with real property or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote. By the time of the Civil War, most white men were allowed to vote, but white women, people of color and Native Americans could still not vote.
It wasn’t until 1870, after years of bloody civil war and the ultimate adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment, that “non-white men” obtained the right to vote in the United States. Many men and women died to secure this right.
It took another 50 years before women would be able to vote in our country, thanks in part to leadership by women’s rights movement leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton, who were able to rally the power of the female population to their cause (women also largely drove the anti-temperance movement which led to prohibition).
It wasn’t until 1924, that all American citizens were granted the right to vote, when Native Americans were finally granted citizenship and received voting rights.
In the beginning, our country only allowed the elite, powerful or rich to vote. It has taken hundreds of years of dedication and sacrifice to have every U.S. citizen represented in our election process.
The right to free elections and having a voice in the electoral process is one that people die for in countries around the world, and our own country has struggled with it throughout our history. So exercise your right to vote, and pay respect to the people who sacrificed for you to have that right.
Please, DON’T NOT VOTE!
Don't Not Vote! 