Following the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was passed, granting former slaves citizenship to the United States. By default, this should have also given African Americans the right to vote. The Amendment stated: 

"The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

However, the states retained the power to regulate their voting laws and many states enacted strict voting requirements, such as difficult literacy tests and high poll taxes. In some states, if a man was unable to pass the literacy test, he could still register to vote so long as he owned 40 acres and/or $300 worth of property. While these requirements were held for everyone regardless of race, it was far easier for white men to register to vote than it was for black men. Many of these same states also enacted a grandfather clause, allowing men who were unable to pass the literacy test to vote if they had been eligible to vote prior to the 14^th Amendment, or if their grandfather had been eligible to vote. This clause subsequently excluded black men from being “grandfathered” into voter eligibility. Despite these restrictions, there were still some members of the black community who were able to pass the voting registration requirements and in 1870, Thomas Mundy Peterson became the first African American to cast his vote in a local election.

During the women’s suffrage movement, many of the suffrage groups and marches excluded black women from participating. In 1913, Ida B. Wells founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first Black Women’s Suffrage group. In 1920, the 19^th Amendment was ratified and women gained the right to vote. However, this right was still primarily held for white women and a majority of black women remained ineligible due to the restrictive measures that had been put in place following the Civil War.

It was not until 1965 with the passing of the Voting Rights Act, that black men and women alike gained the right to vote regardless of literacy, monetary wealth, and property ownership.

The Women's Suffrage Movement began in 1848 with the first gathering devoted to women's rights, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. It was attended by nearly 100 people, most -but not all- women, and was where Stanton declared, "all men and women are created equal." 

In the early days of the movement, many of the women reformers had also been active in the abolitionist movement, decrying the oppression of women in all forms. It was during the Civil War that their message turned to focus exclusively on women's voting rights in order to avoid marginalization within society. After the war ended, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. Around the same time, Lucy Stone, an antislavery advocate, founded the American Woman Suffrage Association. She disapproved of Anthony's and Stanton's NWSA for excluding African American women from participating. These two Associations remained competitors until 1890 when they unified and became the National American Woman Suffrage Association. By this time, many working-class women had joined the movement as women's rights activists. 

On February 16, 1908, the first unofficial Women's Suffrage parade took place in New York City. It was organized by Maud Malone, the President of the Harlem Equal Rights League. Despite the police refusing the League a permit and banning the parade, Maud proceeded and was joined by 30 women from other suffrage groups and nearly 2,000 men. Following 1908, three other Women's Suffrage parades took place in New York City on May 21, 1910, May 6, 1911, and May 4, 1912. 

In 1913, the National American Woman's Suffrage Association held their first major event - the largest Women's Suffrage parade- in Washington DC. Over 5,000 suffragettes, 20 parade floats, 9 bands, and 4 mounted brigades marched down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House. This parade made it clear to all that the suffragettes would not be ignored. The women organized the march to be held the day before Woodrow Wilson's presidential inauguration. Thousands of people had already flocked to DC and the women viewed it as the perfect time to make their voices heard. When Wilson arrived at the train station, he had had expected to be greeted with crowds and fanfare. Instead, there was only a small group of college-aged boys to welcome him, as everyone else was at the suffrage parade. 

On January 9, 1917, a group of suffragettes who called themselves the Silent Sentinels, organized by Alice Paul, met with President Wilson to discuss women's voting rights. He brushed them aside and told them to, "concert public opinion on behalf of women's suffrage." The following day, the first picket protest occurred in front of the white house, the women holding signs and banners. The picket protests continued until 1918 when the President gave his support for the suffrage movement and urged Congress to pass a voting rights amendment. 

On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan became the first three states to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Tennessee was the last state to ratify on August 18, 1920. The 19th Amendment was officially ratified on August 26 of the same year.

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