
01-05-2005, 02:35 PM
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Taking Your Vote Lightly?
Did you know that when the U.S. Constitution was written, away back in 1787 (218 years ago), each State could decide for itself who could vote, and who could not!
There were at that time, some four million people here in the Good Old U. S. of A. and but 13 States. Even at this, however, a mere 4% of the population was allowed to vote!
It would seem that the roughly 2 million women in our nation could not vote, 1 million slaves were also not allowed to cast a ballot, no one under the age of 21 could vote, and if you did not own property, you too were also persona non grata (not welcome) at the poles!
And worse of all, slaves were only considered to be only 3/5?s of a whole person back then, and this was figured into the equation in determining how many representatives any given state would get in Congress!?
Now considering that the Revolutionary War ended in 1883, about 4 years prior to this, it would seem that the phrase: We The People and All Men Are Created Equal, were more than a bit premature in the minds of some of our noble Founding Fathers! As a matter of fact, not for another 74 years after this (1861) would the issue boil to the eruption point!
?And hey, what about those foxy babes?? It wasn?t until 1920 (19th. Amendment) that women too, were allowed the right to even vote! For the record, it took about 133 years after the penning of the Constitution before women were allowed to cast their ballots!
Now consider this - gals like Betsy Ross, Dr. Mary Walker (first and only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor), and Clara Barton, etc., etc., etc., were not considered worthy of the vote in their own times!
Yes, things are indeed changing, hopefully for the better. And if we manage to survive for another hundred or so years, maybe we will eventually get it right - ?I HOPE!??
VERITAS
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"MOST PEOPLE DO NOT LACK THE STRENGTH, THEY MERELY LACK THE WILL!" (Victor Hugo)
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