Voting American

From the founding of the new nation, one institution that has survived good times and bad times is the process of free elections. When George Washington was named president, no political parties had yet formed, nor was the process of voting truly democratic. In most places, the only people who could cast a ballot were white male property owners.



Americans Cast Their Votes


"I know nothing grander ... more positive proof of the past, the triumphant result of faith in human kind, than a well-contested American national election."


~ Walt Whitman

"Democratic Vistas"
Colonial States

Political parties began to develop almost immediately. The first was the Federalist, Washington’s party, which favored a strong central government. In opposition to that was the Anti-Federalist or Democratic Republican party, which was more inclined toward individual freedoms.

The 1800s were years of social change and movement in the United States; ensuing rivalries in the nation finally led to the Civil War. But the electoral system kept working. By mid-century, most States had eliminated property qualifications for voters, although neither women nor slaves were allowed to participate. Those who could vote openly voiced their opinions and flocked to hear speeches given by candidates of the newly formed Democratic and Republican national parties. Then, they went to the polls to cast their vote, setting the course for the nation.

fill-in Worksheet: Voting American
ballot-boxes

Questions:

  1. Why was the first voting only open to property holders?
  2. When did women begin to vote in public elections?
  3. How did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 help improve access to the ballot box? Who benefited from this law? How did this law interact with the 15th Amendment?

Desde la fundación del nuevo país, el proceso de las elecciones libres es una institución que ha sobrevivido buenos y malos tiempos. Cuando George Washington fue designado presidente, no había partidos políticos y el proceso mismo no era verdaderamente democrático. En casi todos los lugares, los únicos que podían participar en la votación eran los blancos dueños propiedades.

Los partidos políticos comenzaron a surgir casi de inmediato. El primero fue el Federalista, el partido de George Washington, que estaba a favor de un gobierno central fuerte. El que se oponía era el partido Antifederalista, o Republicano Democrático, que estaba más a favor de las libertades individuales.

[see ... American Highlights - Edith Pavese - 1993 - ISBN: 0-8109-1930-3]