Voting rights have always been a prominent political issue in the United States. For several years in the new republic, national voting was restricted to white men who owned property, who could read, or who practiced a certain religion. Over time, those restrictions were dropped so that all white male citizens could vote, regardless of property ownership or religion.

In 1848, the first women's suffrage convention was held, and from that point on, the right to vote became a major issue for women. Another minority group struggling with inequality in America were the Chinese. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, which barred people of Chinese ancestry from becoming citizens, essentially prohibiting them from voting.

In 1884, Grover Cleveland -- a Democrat -- was elected President. He was known to be inconsistent on racial issues and never publicly supported women's suffrage. This image, which appeared on the cover of The Judge magazine on March 22, 1884, illustrates the continuing struggle for women and Chinese immigrants to gain the right to vote. The magazine was a leading humor magazine in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century that was widely known as a supporter of the Republican Party.

Investigate the source using the zoom and navigational tools in the Flash player and then answer the questions below.

1			Which amendment finally gave women the right to vote? When were Chinese immigrants finally allowed to become citizens?
2			How would images like this have been important to the women's suffrage movement? How would it inspire women who saw it?
3			Considering the date this image was published, what is the significance of showing that African-American men were allowed to vote?
4			How is the Chinese man portrayed in this image? How does it compare to how the woman is portrayed?