By Judy Murphy

Over the past year, the Bennington Branch has focused on the Suffrage Movement, celebrating the Centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The fight for the right to vote was an epic, decades long struggle.

To quote suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, “Young suffragists who helped forge the last links of that chain were not born when it began. Old suffragists who forged the first links were dead when it ended.” Their heroic efforts, tactics, tenacity, and bravery set the example for civil rights battles in the years to come.

The 15^th Amendment

The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, states that “the right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color, or previous servitude.” It was not until 95 years later that the majority of Black men were free to register and vote. During this time, Black and brown males were prevented from voting by Jim Crow tactics of intimidation at the polls, violence, poll taxes, literacy tests, and even threats to their lives. Jim Crow laws blocked their right until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act passed.

 It is important to note that the 15th Amendment did not apply to Black women. As a result, suffragists were divided over the 15th Amendment. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton opposed passage, while the American Woman Suffrage Association of Lucy Stone and Henry Browne Blackwell were in favor. Many suffragists were bitter about Black men getting the vote and not women. It would take 50 more long years of petitions, marches, lobbying, hunger strikes, and tireless efforts by suffragists to win passage of the 19th Amendment.

Limitations of the 19th Amendment

The 19^th Amendment, ratified in 1920, states that the “right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Sadly, the right to vote guaranteed by the 19th Amendment was largely limited to white women. Systemic racism, widespread discrimination, and Jim Crow laws kept Native American women, Asian American women, and Black women from the ballot box. Black women had to wait for as long as 45 years until they were able to cast a ballot.

Native American Women—The Snyder Act of 1924

Indigenous women were not considered citizens of the United States. Legally they were wards of the government. For thousands of years Native American women had had a voice in the government of their sovereign nations and many nations were matriarchal. Knowing this, the suffragists enlisted Native American women to speak at their rallies, often in native dress.

It was not until 1924 that the Snyder Act extended US citizenship to Native American men and women. In reaction, many states enacted Jim Crow era policies to disenfranchise Native Americans. The Constitution left it up to the states to decide who had the right to vote. It took over 40 years for all 50 states to allow Native Americans to vote. (It was the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, discussed below, that finally enabled Native Americans to vote.)

Chinese Immigrants—The Magnuson Act of 1943

The Chinese Exclusion Act denied Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens. In fact, it was the first immigration law ever passed and it prevented people from China from entering the United States. It was not until 1943 when the Magnuson Act allowed some Chinese already residing in the United States to become naturalized citizens. The Magnuson Act ended 62 years of Chinese exclusion.

Asian Americans—The McCarran Walter Act of 1952

The McCarran/Walter Act passed in 1952. It allowed all Asian Americans residing in the United States to become citizens and gain the right to vote. This act enabled Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and those from other Asian countries, who were US residents, to vote for the first time. Prior to this they had faced hostile poll workers making racist comments toward Asian American voters, improper demands for ID or proof of citizenship, and intimidation.

Black Women and the 1965 Voting Right Act

For 45 years after passage of the 19th Amendment, Black women were prevented from voting by the same oppressive Jim Crow laws in the South and in many of the northern states that affected Black men. The Civil Rights Movement, using many of the same tactics as the suffragists, opened up the voting booth for both Black men and Black women.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at state and local levels that prevented African Americans and other minorities from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed by the 15th Amendment.

The Situation Today

 Woefully, suppression of the vote is not a thing of the past. Voter suppression continues today. In 2013 the United States Supreme Court overturned key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, declaring that the measures in question were meant to address “decades-old problems” and that the Constitution was “not designed to punish for the past.” In essence, the Supreme Court denied that problems with voting still existed.

Within hours, the North Carolina GOP officials called for a new law to curtail early voting, require voter identification at polling places, and end same-day voter registration–all designed to block Blacks and other minority persons from voting. Many other states followed suit. Tens of thousands of voters were taken off the voting lists, largely in minority areas. Most voters did not realize they had been disenfranchised until they arrived at the polls to cast their votes.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations have ongoing lawsuits challenging these tactics to suppress the vote. Voter suppression is still a serious issue, one that could very well influence the outcome of the 2020 election.

Return to Table of Contents