Native Americans had lived on the land that became the United States for centuries before Europeans arrived. Starting in 1607, people from many parts of Europe went across the ocean to settle there. These European immigrant groups lived in separate “colonies,” which were communities with their own religions, laws, and practices.
The English had the largest group of settlers. They controlled 13 colonies that stretched along the Atlantic coast, and they put English laws and practices into effect in the “New World.” One of these practices was to decide whom to give suffrage, which means the right to vote. Mainly Protestant white men who owned a certain amount of property, usually land, were given the right to vote. In most colonies, Jews and Catholics were not allowed to vote, whether or not they owned property.
The colonists published “The Declaration of Independence” on July 4, 1776. It announced that the 13 colonies would now be separate from England, and not ruled by England. American colonists then had to fight and win the Revolutionary War against England in order to get their freedom. The United States now celebrates its independence every July 4, in honor of the Declaration of Independence.
The United States Constitution became the law of the land a few years after the colonies gained their independence from England. This document set out the rules of government for the country as a whole. A colony had to approve, or ratify, and agree to obey the Constitution in order to become a state of the United States. Eventually, all 13 colonies agreed to ratify the Constitution and become states. Over time, as the country grew, more territories joined as states. The United States now has 50 states.
Most of the writers of The United States Constitution were Protestant white men. Most of them owned property. You might know the names of some of these men. George Washington (who became the country’s first president), James Madison (who later became the fourth president), and Alexander Hamilton were a few of the writers of the Constitution.
The Constitution gave each state the power to conduct elections and to make the rules about how voting is done in that state. Some states did not want to give suffrage to groups they believed were not capable of choosing wise leaders or making good laws. Some states did not want African Americans, women, or white men who did not have property to vote.
Over time, property and religious requirements for voting were dropped by each of the states. Since the early 1800s, no state has had a religious requirement for voting. Soon after that, property requirements were dropped in state after state, until all white men at least 21 years old had suffrage.
The Constitution tells the states not only what they must do, but also what they may not do, like discriminate against certain groups when it comes to voting.
The Constitution says that amendments may be added to the original document. Over the years, the American people changed their ideas about what is right and fair, and so the Constitution was changed to fit the changing times through the addition of amendments. First, an amendment is proposed by at least two-thirds of the members of Congress. The amendment is added to the Constitution after the legislatures of at least three-fourths of the states ratify it.
There are now 27 Amendments, which were added over the course of 202 years. Three of these amendments give the right to vote to certain groups. The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920, and the 26th Amendment gave young men and women aged 18-20 the right to vote in 1971.
1. Three of the Constitutions 27 amendments give the right to vote to certain groups. What are these groups?
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9. How did states limit the voting rights of certain groups of people? Use information from the text to support your answer. 
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10. What led to the passage of the 15th, 19th, and 26th amendments? Use information from the text to support your answer.
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