<P> The United States Constitution did not originally define who was eligible to vote , allowing each state to determine who was eligible . In the early history of the U.S. , most states allowed only white male adult property owners to vote . Freed slaves could vote in four states . Women were largely prohibited from voting , as were men without property . Women could vote in New Jersey until 1807 ( provided they could meet the property requirement ) and in some local jurisdictions in other northern states . Non-white Americans could also vote in these jurisdictions , provided they could meet the property requirement . By 1856 , white men were allowed to vote in all states regardless of property ownership , although requirements for paying tax remained in five states . On the other hand , several states , including Pennsylvania and New Jersey stripped the free black males of the right to vote in the same period . </P>
who was allowed to vote for president in the early united states
only white male adult property owners to vote