At first, the right to vote in the United States was severely limited. The Constitution was written saying that only white males who owned property were the ones who had the vote. This has changed over the last two centuries. People in the US over the age of 18 are now allowed to vote no matter their race or gender. Those who did not have the right to vote before, achieved it with determination and hard work.
In 1790, in the United States, only white male adults who owned property could vote. Women and African Americans were among the different groups excluded from voting. The first amendment passed related suffrage was the 14th amendment of 1868. It declared that any eligible 21 year old male had the right to vote. In 1870, the 15th amendment was passed, which gave former male slaves the right to vote and protected the right to vote of adult male citizens of any race. Wyoming was the first state to give voting rights to women. After that, in 1920 all women in the United States gained the right to vote with the 19th amendment. This amendment declared that suffrage could not be denied "on account of sex". The 24th amendment and the Voting Rights Act, banned restrictions and racist voting practices in all states. Finally all Americans over the age of 18 were given the right to vote with the 26th amendment of 1971.
As years passed, laws changed in the United States for women and African Americans. They were excluded for many years from the amendments that gave the vote to white males. Changes were made and more groups of people were allowed to vote. Women and African Americans fought for this right until they finally accomplished their goal.
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