Expanding Suffrage Dbq Essay Example

in order to expand the right to vote to all white males. Sanford believed, “…the only qualifications (to vote) seem to be the virtue and morality of the people…those who contribute to the public support we consider as entitled to a share of the election of rulers” (Doc 1).

One only needs to have morals and opinions, and as long as they are putting in to the country’s “public support”, they should be able to vote. On the other hand, at this same convention James Kent stands behind the opposing opinion and states “The tendency of universal suffrage is to jeopardize the rights of property and the principles of liberty,” (Doc 2). He then goes on to explain different instances where groups of people, the poor, the debtors, the “majority”, and the indolent and profligate all have tendencies to have certain opinions based on their own state, and granting all of these groups of people suffrage will cause chaos.

I think that of these two contrasting sides, Sanford’s argument is more valid. Every human being has morals and opinions, and in a free country that is what suffrage should depend on, not one’s materialistic possessions. Frances Trollope shows her strong opinions on American democracy in her book, Domestic Manners of the Americans. Her experience in the United States led her to frown upon the system of electing government officials, and American politics in general.

Trollope said, “They are all ready to peck out the eyes of those who oppose them” which shows that she feels the American government is very competitive in negative aspects (Doc 4). Taking al of this into account,

it is clear that she would not have been pro expanding American suffrage. On the contrary, George Bancroft strongly believed in suffrage for all, which is very easily understood from portion of his speech given at Williams College: “…the best government rests on the people and not on the few, on person and not on property, on the free development of public opinion and not on authority…” (Doc 5).

Bancroft was another strong believer that government was based on the people themselves and not what they owned, therefore expanding suffrage was the best thing a country could do for itself. Lastly, in the painting “The County Election”, George Caleb depicts men dressed well as well as some poorly dressed, showing various social classes all at the same election (Doc 6) This unifies all men voting together at the county election which is what Caleb’s interpretation of an expansion of suffrage looks like.

Out of all of the arguments, the people who agreed that every man deserved the right to vote had the most compelling and true arguments. It is fact that what you have doesn’t make up who you are, or what you believe in, so when it comes to using your beliefs and ideas to vote for a president, why should it be that only land-owning males have this right? It shouldn’t. This idea was also supported by many western states who felt that land was so easily obtained that it meant nothing as being a qualification for voting rights. The answer is that expanding voting privileges to all people is the correct thing to do in a democracy.