The issue of voting came up after the Civil War thanks to the 13th amendment. The 13th amendment outlawed the institution of slavery, effectively freeing millions of African-Americans. Now that these men and women were free, the issue of whether or not they would be able to vote arose. This is why the 15th amendment was passed in the late 1800's. This gave all African-American men the right to vote. Women, as a whole, would not get a constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote until 1920.
