Between 1810 and 1856, the original 13 states drop their property requirements. As mass political parties emerge, the principle of universal white male suffrage becomes widely accepted.

Voter participation among adult white men is very high, reaching roughly 80% by about 1840. The political parties develop very effective techniques for stimulating voter participation - rallies, torchlight parades and circulation of highly partisan newspapers. Politicans use federal, state, and local government workers both to exhort voters and to collect information about public opinion.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress