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Why Was a Portuguese Militia Veteran Denied the Right to Vote in 1844? - The Boundaries of Citizenship in Rhode Island | Sleepy Facts About History
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In 1844, a Portuguese homeowner and militia veteran named Manuel Domingo walked into a Providence court to ask for the right to vote, only to be turned away for not being white. His refusal was not an isolated administrative error, but a reflection of a much deeper historical reality. For most of history, citizenship was not a universal birthright but a local, layered, and privileged condition, enforced through overlapping tests of property, race, religion, and gender. This episode…
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