Rhode Island enfranchised blacks while disenfranchising Irish through land requirements.

Evidence

In the aftermath of the rebellion, the Law and Order Party granted voting rights to Rhode Island black men on the same basis as to native-born whites. A freehold requirement was passed for foreign-born voters, which required that they own land to vote. As one historian has put it, “The Law and Order party simultaneously picked up an ally and made it difficult for their antagonists, the Irish, to vote.” — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 317

Categorization

• XREF: A vivid case where a category already inside protection (blacks voting) vs. an aspirant (Irish) shows protection is decided politically, not by race essence. — connects to: Being grouped with blacks increased Irish hostility toward them. — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 150