The Slow Increase of Suffrage and Democracy in the United States in the 19th Century

                Democracy is a form of government where everyone has a say.  As defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary, democracy is a “government by the people”¹.  Democracy is “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or  indirectly”, meaning everyone votes on laws or everyone votes for people to represent them and help make laws.  Voting should occur “periodically”¹.  Democracy involves “free election” meaning democracy should be defined as a fair government where everyone has the right of suffrage¹.

                The United States at the beginning of the 19^th century was not very democratic.  It was much more democratic than other European countries, but still had many flaws.  Over the course of the century, however, the United States slowly became more democratic. 

In a painting depicting an election day, by George Caleb Bingham, many of the flaws of voting are pointed out.  

These flaws on election day contribute to the United States not being as democratic as it claimed to be since suffrage is a large part of democracy.  In the painting, there are no women, showing that the voting was restricted to just men.   There is also a black man shown selling drinks to a voting man in the painting.  The black man clearly cannot vote, meaning that suffrage was limited to just white men.  It also shows that the people voting did not take the election seriously since the man drinking will be voting drunk.  At the beginning of the century not only were white men the only people who could vote, but they had to own property worth at least fifty dollars.  This also limits the right of suffrage and makes the United States less democratic, since if a man loses his property but “in the meantime has become more experienced, his knowledge of the principles of government and his acquaintance with mankind are more extensive, and he is therefore better qualified to make a proper selection of rulers”, “the man cannot vote” because “the jackass [property] is dead”².  So few people had a say in their own government since suffrage was very limited and Townshend found, “The attempt to govern men without seeking their consent is usurpation and tyranny”³.  People were being controlled by a government that they had no input in, so Townshend claimed that the United States is like the monarchy in Austria where the people did not have a say in the government.  

Suffrage and the people’s say in the government did increase in the 19^th century, which increased how democratic the United States was.  The graph below shows that the number of states that required men to own property decreased as well as requirements to pay taxes decreased, meaning the right to vote became less and less about economics.  Suffrage increased and thus democracy increased.

Below, is another chart that shows an increase in people instead of a legislature voting for the electors in the 19^th century.  Again, this helped more people to have a say in their government, making the United States more democratic.

This transition of increased suffrage due to less financial requirements was gradual and not very violent in most states.  Only in one state, Rhode Island, the transition occurred but took a lot of effort and was very violent.  This transition is called the “Dorr War” since Dorr led the fight to eliminate the property requirement for voting.  Rhode Island was still using a charter from the time the United States was controlled by Britain and Dorr questioned this by saying “We begin by inquiring whether it be consistent with the spirit of the Declaration of American Independence, and becoming the character of Rhode Island Republicans, any longer to acknowledge the charter of a British King as a Constitution of civil government?...”⁴.  He thought that Rhode Island was being undemocratic by not allowing everyone to vote and using a charter from the time that England controlled them.  Eventually a new constitution was adopted and even Rhode Island increased the number of people allowed to vote and thus increased how democratic the United States was in the 19^th century.

                The United States slowly became more democratic over the course of the 19^th century.  Originally suffrage was limited to only white men who owned property or paid taxes.  By the end of the 19^th century almost all white men could vote.  Suffrage was still limited because women and black men could not vote, but the right to vote still increased.  Also, many states started allowing people instead of a legislature to vote for electors.  Through the wider spread of suffrage, the United States became more democratic in the 19^th century. 

¹ Democracy (From Mirriam­Webster Dictionary).

² Benjamin Franklin, The Casket, or Flowers of Literature, Wit and Sentiment (1828).

³ Norton Townshend, Ohio Constitutional Convention, 1850.

⁴ Copyright 2012 Digital History http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook_print.cfm?smtid=3&psid=387.