The Supreme Court case, Elk v. Wilkins, denied John Elk, a Native American, the right
to vote, as Justice Gray stated Elk had no claims over citizenship since he had never
been naturalized. Despite renouncing his tribal affiliation, assimilating to a U.S. state,
learning to speak English, and paying taxes, Elk was denied the right to vote. This set a
precedent that Native Americans who paid taxes did not have the right to vote.
❖ 1877- Jim Crow Laws are passed to keep African Americans from
voting
Southern states and border states passed a series of laws that would now become
known as “Jim Crow Laws” which enforced racial segregation. These laws formally
began around 1877 when the Supreme Court ruled that they could not prohibit
segregation on common modes of public transportation.
❖ 1882- The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act, signed into law on May 6, 1882, barred all immigration of
Chinese laborers for the next 10 years and affirmed that all Chinese immigrants were
ineligible for naturalization. The Supreme Court had ruled decades earlier that the
Chinese were unable to testify in court, hence, they could not fight against these
discriminatory laws. Due to this ineligibility for naturalization, the Chinese in effect were
unable to be granted any rights or protections, including the right to vote.
❖ 1887- Dawes Act:
The Dawes Act, passed into law in 1887, allowed the federal government to divide up
tribal land into individual plots. This act was passed to promote assimilation of Native
Americans. Only those who agreed to the division of tribal lands and registered with the
Office of Indian Affairs were eligible to become U.S. citizens and receive the plot.
However, this resulted in the social structure of the tribes to weaken as Native
Americans were used to a communal style of living. The failure of this act led the
government to hold more of a “hands-off” policy, giving Native Americans the choice
between enfranchisement or self-government.
❖ 1890- Wyoming becomes the first state to legislate voting for women
in its constitution.
The Wyoming state convention became the first state to grant White female citizens the
right to vote as they passed their state Constitution that included a provision allowing
female citizens to vote on September 30, 1889.
❖ 1896- Several southern states pass "grandfather clauses" to prevent
former slaves and their descendants from voting
Several southern states already had amendments in place in their state Constitutions
that required voters to be able to read and write English, or own property valued at $300
or more. However, the “Grandfather Clause” allowed a man to vote, regardless of these
previous requirements, if their grandfather or father had voted before January 1, 1867.
This allowed White men to still be able to vote even if they could not pass the literacy