Problem
Read Rhode Islanders Property Restrictions on Voting, 1834
1. According to this document, what is the purpose of government?
2. The authors of this document propose the elimination of property qualifications. What arguments for this do they give?
3. According to this document, which members of society can currently NOT vote? Why should they be able to vote?
Read Black Philadelphians Defend Their Voting Rights, 1838
In the early years of the republic, free Black men could vote in most states. But in the 1820s and 1830s, states began passing laws revoking Black suffrage. This document was written by a group of African American men after the state of Pennsylvania took away their voting rights.
1. What argument for retaining their voting rights do the authors of this piece give?
2. How is the argument they present similar to or different from the Rhode Island document?
Read Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" 1852
This is one of Douglass' most famous speeches. We will read his full autobiography in a couple of weeks.
1. What does Douglass have to say in this speech about American values of justice, liberty and equality?
2. According to Douglass, what rights are slaves deprived of?
3. Why do you think that Douglass uses the term "Fellow citizens" throughout this speech?
Reflection:
1. What, if anything, do the sources tell you about the nature of citizenship in the United States? How, historically, have we defined who is, or is not a citizen?
2. What is the connection between citizenship and suffrage? In this era, who decided who was, or was not, a US citizen? Could all citizens vote?
3. Based on these sources, what factors shaped who did or did not have the right to vote in the early United States?