Timeline: Native Americans and the Right to Vote

Due to treaties, which are “formal agreements between two sovereign nations” and legal battles, the native peoples of American were not extended the full rights of US citizenship until 1924. Below is a timeline of Native Americans and the right to vote in US:

1776 White men with property can vote. Free black men can vote in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

1789 Establishment of the American democracy. White men with property can vote. Poor people cannot vote. Women, Native Americans, and enslaved African-Americans cannot vote.

1866 The Civil War ends in 1865. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 grants citizenship to native-born Americans but excludes Native Americans.

1876 Indigenous people cannot vote. The Supreme Court rules that Native Americans are not citizens as defined by the 14th Amendment and, thus, cannot vote.

1887 - The Dawes Act gives citizenship only to Native Americans who give up their tribal affiliations.

1890 Indigenous people must apply for citizenship. The Indian Naturalization Act grants citizenship to Native Americans whose applications are approved—similar to the process of immigrant naturalization.

1901 - Congress grants citizenship to Native Americans living in Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

1919 Military Service=Citizenship for Native Americans. Native Americans who served in the military during World War I are granted U.S. citizenship.

1924 The service of Native Americans during World War I helps to bring about the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act. The Act grants Native Americans citizenship, but many western states refuse to allow them to vote. Some of the tactics used to discourage voting includes physical violence, destruction of property, economic pressures, poll taxes, hiding the polls and reading requirements.

1947 Legal barriers to Native American voting removed. Miguel Trujillo, a Native American and former Marine, sues New Mexico for not allowing him to vote. He wins and New Mexico and Arizona are required to give the vote to all Native Americans

1965 In direct response to the Civil Rights movement, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is enacted. It bans literacy tests and provides federal enforcement of black voter registration and voting rights.

References:
Civilrights.org, “Civil Rights: A Chronology,” civilrights.org, http://www.civilrights.org/research_center/permanent_collection/resource...
Japanese American National Museum. Teaching the Japanese American Experience: An Educator’s Tool Kit. 2004.
KLCS, “African American World Timeline,” Public Broadcasting System, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/timeline.htm
http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0410/041005.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html
http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebra...
http://www.progress.org/2004/vote28.htm
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:uOhSwUTAoqsJ:www.kqed.org/assets/pd...

Photo by: Little Green Dragon

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