Prior to the early 1800s wealthy African-American men in Pennsylvania could vote just as their rich European-American male counterparts could. However, voting rights were expanded to include poor European-American men ("universal manhood suffrage"), in a shift that began the move away from a society stratified by wealth, to one which was now also based on race; black wealthy men were now no longer allowed to vote. This page covers the context of the gradual decline in rights for African Americans which culminated in the loss of their voting rights, as well as the effects on the surrounding society and the resulting political climate as well as the revolt from the black community.