4.7 Expanding Democracy

Topic 4.7: Expanding Democracy (Period 4: 1800-1848)

1. Expansion of Democracy:

• Suffrage:

  • Until the 1820s, few Americans could vote.

  • Most states restricted voting to white male property owners/taxpayers.

  • By 1856, property ownership requirements were abolished, leading to universal white male suffrage.

  • Western states initially guaranteed voting rights for all adult white males.

  • Older states reduced property requirements to retain population.

  • Voting Statistics:

    • 1800: <10% of adult males could vote.

    • 1830: 58% of white male voters.

    • 1860: 80% of white adult males had voting rights (only SC & RI maintained property qualifications).

  • Democratization was incomplete; Southern laws favored planters, and free Black Americans could not vote in the South or in many Northern states. Women and Native Americans had no voting rights.

2. Presidential Elections:

• In 1800, electors chosen by state legislatures in 10 states; only 5 states had direct election