This year’s Constitution Day talk centered on the history of voting rights in Pennsylvania. The event was held in the Learning Commons Room 331 from 7-8:30 p.m and was hosted by local historian EJ Murphy.

The first voting law happened in 1964. The issue discussed was whether soldiers in the war had a right to vote, since they weren’t in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, it was decided that since the soldiers sacrificed a lot for the country they were allowed to vote. The matter of Confederate soldiers voting came into question and they were also allowed to vote.

Murphy discussed three pieces of Slavery Documents: Free Protections of Slavery (20 years Clause), the 3/5th Compromise, and the Fugitive Slave Clause. This eventually led to a discussion on slavery and a discussion of race.

The Fogg case, one discussed from the night, involved a mixed race man going to the voting pole and attempting to vote.

Murphy added, “He goes up to vote and is denied at the polls…The national and state constitutions had made no racial qualifications to voting.”

“Judge David Scott ruled in favor of William Fogg, highlighting the fact that the United States Constitution did not have any racial barriers to slavery,” Murphy stated.

However, the case got kicked up to the Supreme Court before Chief Justice Bannister Gibson. Gibson viewed African Americans as a lower class and Fogg lost the case at the national level.

Dr. Adam Shprintzen, a professor at Marywood, helped organize this event and shared why it was decided to focus on the history of voting rights during a major election.

“There is no better time to discuss the ever-changing history of rights in the United States as we continue to ensure that the right to vote remains uninterrupted and protected,” he said. “Over the last handful of years we have seen concerted efforts to abridge individuals’ voting rights, make it more difficult to vote and even question the systems that are in place to ensure everybody has the ability to vote.”

Dr. Shprintzen also included his own insight on why voting matters: “Voting is one of the most important means of having a voice in our political system. People over time have fought and even died for this incredibly important right.”

If students weren’t registered to vote they were encouraged to scan a QR to help them register.

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