History of Voting Rights

In this episode of Consider the Constitution, host Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey discusses the right to vote, or suffrage, and how it functions as a mechanism for citizens to participate in the democratic process. Special guest, Dr. Pippa Holloway, a history professor at the University of Richmond, discusses the evolution of voting rights in the U.S., from the ambiguity surrounding citizenship and voting rights in the original Constitution to the clarification provided in the mid-19th century. The conversation also covers the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the women's suffrage movement, and the challenges faced by different groups in gaining and exercising their voting rights.