About this record
During the 1846 constitutional convention, delegates debated who should be eligible to vote in Wisconsin. Because Wisconsin boasted a large immigrant population, the question of suffrage for the foreign-born was especially critical. Delegates also discussed whether to extend voting rights to African Americans, a provision that many feared would cause Wisconsin to become overrun with fugitive slaves. Whether women ought to be allowed to vote was a third issued that divided the electorate. This excerpt from the convention's journal reveals some of the primary arguments in the debate.Citation
"Suffrage debates during first convention." Wisconsin Historical Collections, vol. 27 (Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1919): 210-220.