Suffrage can easily be defined as “ The Right to Vote”, as said by The Dorsey Dictionary of American Government and Politics.  This includes “The privilege of voting for candidates for public office and on  proposed constitutional amendments, initiated or referred measures, bond issues” as stated by the Dictionary of American Politics.  This first came into action with mainly landholders and few others.  This meant that all landholders that made over 40 shillings annually had the right to vote.  At this period of time States were in charge of suffrage.  But this did not spread to all Citizens of the United States.
     In 1870 the 15th amendment, section 1, stated that, “ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”  This was an important step in the name of suffrage by granting black males the right to vote.  Even though the 15th amendment was passed states tried to get around the law to keep blacks from being able to vote, but the amendment prevailed.   Women still did not have the right to vote until 1920, when the 19th amendment, section 1, stated that, “ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”  This was a final breakthrough in allowing all citizens the right to vote.    The only people that are not allowed to vote in the United States are people under the age of 18 and the mentally ill.

The World book Encyclopedia Volume 18,  USA:  Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1961.
Academic American Encyclopedia Volume 18,  USA:  Groiler Incorporated, 1998.
Shafritz, Jay.  The Dorsey Dictionary of Ameican Government and Politics.  Chicago, Illinois:  The Dorsey Press, 1988.
Smith, Edward C, and  Zurchers, Arnold J. Dictionary of American Politics.  New York:  Barnes and Nobles, 1971.
Hill, Kathleen Thompson, and Hill, Gerald N. Real Life Dictionary of American Politics.  Santa Monica, California:  General Publishing Group,  1994.