Wanderlust World Wanderlust World New York's path to Black suffrage was gradual, contradictory, and ultimately driven by federal action. Here's the timeline.
Free Black men could vote—if they owned £100 property (freehold). White men needed only £20. A 5x disparity.
Property qualification removed for white men (universal white manhood suffrage). Retained for Black men (now $250 freehold). The racial gap widened.
Debated Black suffrage. Kept property requirement but lowered it to $250 (same as 1821, but inflation made it slightly easier). Rejected equal suffrage.
Two popular votes on removing the property qualifier for Black men. Both failed decisively (63–37% and 60–40%).
Ratified Feb 1870: "Right to vote shall not be denied... on account of race." New York could not legally maintain the property qualification. Black men voted freely thereafter.
Required voters to read/write English. Applied disproportionately to Black (and immigrant) voters. A Jim Crow-style barrier in the North.
Federal law banned literacy tests nationwide. New York complied. Full, equal suffrage achieved—95 years after the 15th Amendment.
New York was early to allow some Black voting (1777) but late to grant equality—relying on federal compulsion twice (1870, 1965). The state's "progressive" reputation masks a long record of racialized voting restrictions.