[No] Freedom in This “Homeland of the Free.”1 A History of Florida’s Amendment 4, the Voting Rights Restoration Act, and the Journey to End 150 Years of Disenfranchisement.

Author

• Susan E. Stutz

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Njambi, Wairimũ

Abstract

In 1868, the leadership of Florida, faced with the emancipation and enfranchisement of its slave population, amended the state’s Constitution to disenfranchise those convicted of a felony. Criminal statutes were written criminalizing actions that were believed to be committed most often by African Americans. The original 60,000 population at risk of disenfranchisement would grow to 1,400,000 people over the course of the next 150 years. In November 2018, voters in Florida voted to once again amend the State’s Constitution, this time to restore the franchise to previously convicted felons. This thesis addresses the question: How did millions of people come to be disenfranchised by what appears to be a racially neutral law?

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Recommended Citation

Stutz, Susan E., "[No] Freedom in This “Homeland of the Free.”1 A History of Florida’s Amendment 4, the Voting Rights Restoration Act, and the Journey to End 150 Years of Disenfranchisement." (2019). Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019. 402.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_honors_2/402

Extent

58 p.

Identifier

FAUHT00121