1870 - 1920: The 15th Amendment (1870) granted Black American males the right to vote. Additionally, several states began to allow women to vote in local elections during this period.
1920 - 1965: The 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote nationally. Yet racial discriminatory practices (like poll taxes and literacy tests) continued to impede the full exercise of their voting rights for minorities, particularly African Americans, in many parts of the South.
1965 - present: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to address racial discrepancies in voting. It dismantled obstacles such as poll taxes and provided federal oversight to register voters in areas with a history of discrimination. Subsequent amendments and reauthorizations aimed to strengthen and protect the Act for future generations.
Overall Trend:
These key milestones underscore a sustained, incremental evolution toward expanding the voting rights of historically marginalized groups, particularly by extending voting rights on the basis of race and sex. However, even with the progress gained thus far, challenges with ensuring equitable participation persist, emphasizing the ongoing process of shaping and maintaining an inclusive democratic system in the US.