1920: The 19th Amendment Grants Voting Rights to Women in the U.S.

Although the 19th Amendment in 1920 gave all American women the legal right to vote, regardless of race, many Black women and other women of color were still blocked from voting due to discrimination. Similarly, non-White men, especially Black men, faced similar barriers despite the 15th Amendment, which gave all American men the right to vote regardless of race. The 19th and 15th Amendments didn’t really give all American men and women of color the right to vote as it claimed until decades later when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. It stated that all races of women and men could vote without facing racial discrimination. Unfortunately, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee ruling in 2021 allowed stricter voting laws to remain in place, weakening protections against laws that could discriminate based on race. It made it harder to challenge such laws under the Voting Rights Act, especially those affecting minority voters.