Today is Election Day. Every U. S. citizen has the right to
vote. I have done my duty and hope everyone has a moment to express his or her
wishes for our great country’s future leadership. At times I hear stories of
apathy and how someone thinks their vote won’t count. When I hear that I think
back to my ancestors. As I continue to focus on The Dooley Family Tree, I think
of our Irish immigrant, William Dooley.
Citizenship is not required. Naturalization, a voluntary
act, is a two-step process that took a minimum of five years. During William’s
lifetime, First Papers (Declaration of Intent) could be submitted after living
in the U.S. for a period of two years. After an additional three years, a
person could petition of naturalization. Once granted, a certificate of
citizenship was issued.
William
submitted his naturalization papers in March of 1856. I doubt his certificate of citizenship
arrived for the 1856 Presidential Elections. If it had, William would have been able to vote in a three-way
election between James Buchanan, John Fremont and Millard Fillmore.
I do believe that William Dooley was able to vote in the 1860
Presidential Election.
William would have voted for one of the four following
candidates: Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, John Bell and Stephen Douglas.
I wonder which candidate received the vote of a poor, Irish Catholic citizen.
Ellen Dooley would not have voted, as women had not yet
received the right to vote.
Women’s right to vote would not happen in Ellen’s lifetime.
Women would have to wait for the 19th Amendment; which was ratified
on 18 August 1920.
It is interesting to note that once William Dooley became a
citizen Ellen also became a citizen. At that time, women’s citizenship mirrored
their husband’s citizenship. So, should an American-born woman fall in love and
marry an immigrant, non-citizen, she would loose her citizenship and become an
alien. Interesting, isn’t it?
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