Final answer:
In the 1820s, voting rights expanded for white men mainly by eliminating property qualifications but became more restrictive for women and African Americans, who faced increased disenfranchisement through new state constitutions and regulations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Changes in Voting Rights in the 1820s
In the 1820s, the right to vote underwent significant changes for various demographic groups in the United States. For white men, property qualifications were largely eliminated, effectively broadening suffrage across multiple states. States like New York and Connecticut led the way in enfranchising white men who did not own property or paid taxes, which included allowing those who served in the militia the right to vote. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois also extended the right to vote to white men regardless of property.
Unfortunately, these expanded rights did not extend to women, Native Americans, and African Americans. The adoption of universal white manhood suffrage coincided with increased restrictions for these groups. New Jersey took away the right to vote from women property holders, and most new states joining the Union denied African Americans the right to vote. Moreover, by placing stringent property requirements and implementing literacy tests, states like New York disenfranchised many African American men.
The societal change towards democratization among white males contrasted sharply with the increased marginalization and disenfranchisement of minorities and women. Legislation after the Civil War, such as the Fifteenth Amendment, and later, the Nineteenth Amendment, would begin to address these disparities, although voting barriers like literacy tests and poll taxes persisted until the mid-20th century's civil rights reforms.