Exhibit at the Library: A Brief History of Voting Rights in the U.S.

As the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom approaches, the Ferguson Library is currently displaying the exhibit, Who Can Vote? A Brief History of Voting Rights in the U.S. Made up of seven panels, the exhibit examines voting rights with an emphasis on the role of the U.S. Constitution and the interplay between the states and federal government in determining who is allowed to vote. It will remain on view through August 21.

Beginning with the founding era and going up to the election of 2000, this exhibition explores the complex history of the right to vote that forms the core of our nation’s democracy. Topics include voting as a constitutional right, women’s suffrage, Reconstruction and Jim Crow era voting rights, the Civil Rights Movement, and the enfranchisement of Indigenous peoples.

The exhibit is provided by of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's The Right to Vote: The Role of States and the U.S. Constitution project, supported by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.