In the early English colonies, voting rights were generally limited to white male property owners. The specific criteria for voting varied by colony, but the following points are typically true about voting qualifications:
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White Males: Only white males were allowed to vote. This excluded women, people of color, and enslaved individuals.
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Property Owners: Most colonies required voters to own property. This criterion was based on the belief that property owners had a vested interest in the governance of their community and were therefore more responsible voters.
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Christianity: While being a Christian was not always a formal requirement for voting, many colonies had established churches and were influenced by religious norms. In some cases, colonial governments only allowed members of certain denominations to vote, effectively privileging Protestant Christians.
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Church Attendance: Some colonies had laws requiring church attendance or membership in specific congregations, which could indirectly affect a person's ability to vote.
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Gentry Class: In some colonies, the gentry or wealthy class had significant influence over political decisions, and voting was often more accessible to this group, though property ownership was still a key factor.
Overall, the common requirement across English colonies was that a voter had to be a white male property owner, and while religious affiliation played a role in some areas, it was not uniformly enforced.