A poignant reminder of the fact that we take liberties for granted came when in her speech tonight, Hilary Clinton thanked her Mom, who she said, "was born before women had a right to vote, and now she is seeing her Daughter run for President." 

Think about it.  There are women still living today, who in their own lives were denied the right to vote! It was only in 1920 that women gained the right to vote, with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Black citizens technically were emancipated in 1875 but prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, they effectively were denied the right in many Southern States - like in Alabama, where less than 2% of African-Americans were registered to vote prior to 1964.

Tags: Democracy and Freedom (or lack of), United States //