Final answer:
In Colonial America, suffrage was limited to those who owned property or paid taxes. Religious restrictions also affected voting rights. Women and free blacks were generally denied the right to vote, although New Jersey allowed single women to vote for a period of time. After the American Revolution, suffrage was extended to more white men, but restrictions on voting rights for African Americans increased.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Colonial America, suffrage was the right to vote. However, voting rights were limited to certain individuals. Only those who owned property or paid taxes, which were often wealthy elite individuals, were allowed to vote. Additionally, there were religious restrictions on voting, with Catholics being barred from voting in some colonies and Jews being prohibited from voting in others.
Over time, some states extended suffrage to more men by reducing property qualifications or allowing taxpayer suffrage. However, voting rights were still restricted based on race and gender. Free blacks and women did not have the right to vote in most states. New Jersey was an exception, as it allowed single women suffrage for a period of time.
It wasn't until after the American Revolution and the removal of religious requirements that suffrage was extended to a larger percentage of white men. African Americans were still denied the right to vote in most states, and new restrictions were imposed on their voting rights in the following years.