In March of 1869, Arkansas became the tenth state to ratify the fifteenth amendment which declared that the right to vote shall not be denied “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
While these few words, in theory if not in practice, enfranchised African Americans, including former slaves, it also appeared to implicitly allow states to deny enfranchisement based on sex.
The issue of race would continue to divide the women’s suffrage movement, with some arguing that the female vote would outnumber the black vote while others, especially southerners, rejected the enfranchisement of even more African Americans.
To learn more, visit ARvotesforwomen.com.