Overview of Voting Rights Expansion
This video discusses the evolution of voting rights in the United States, focusing on key amendments and legislation that have broadened suffrage over time. The importance of voting rights in a democracy is emphasized, particularly how the participation of different voter groups influences political outcomes. For a deeper understanding of the foundational principles behind these rights, you may want to check out the Civic Literacy Workshop Summary: Understanding the U.S. Constitution and Government.
Key Amendments and Legislation
- 15th Amendment (1870): Extended voting rights to African-American men, marking the first major expansion of suffrage post-Civil War. This amendment is part of a broader context of civil rights, which is explored in the summary on Forced Sterilizations in the US: A Historical and Contemporary Crisis.
- 17th Amendment (1913): Allowed for the direct election of senators, increasing citizen influence over Congress. This change is significant in understanding the structure of government, which is further detailed in the Comprehensive Overview of Unit 2: AP Government - The Three Branches of Government.
- 19th Amendment (1920): Granted women the right to vote, effectively doubling the eligible voting population. The fight for women's suffrage is a crucial part of American history, which is also connected to themes of patriotism and human rights, as discussed in the summary on Engaging Classroom Activities on Patriotism and Human Rights.
- 24th Amendment (1964): Outlawed poll taxes, a financial barrier to voting.
- Voting Rights Act (1965): Banned various voter suppression tactics, such as literacy tests and grandfather clauses, and established federal oversight in areas with a history of discrimination.
- 26th Amendment (1971): Lowered the voting age to 18, allowing younger citizens to participate in elections, especially during the Vietnam War.
- Motor Voter Act (1993): Simplified the voter registration process by allowing registration when applying for or renewing a driver's license and facilitating mail-in registration.
Conclusion
The video concludes by reiterating the significance of voter participation in shaping political outcomes, highlighting how each legislative change has opened doors for new voter demographics and influenced the political landscape. For a historical perspective on the founding principles that led to these changes, consider reading about The Truth Behind the Declaration of Independence: Jefferson, Slavery, and America's Founding.
in this video we're going to do a brief overview of how amendments to the constitution
and federal legislation have increased voting rights over time now why does this matter apart from just the innate
value of voting rights in a democracy it matters because who participates in the political process
at any one time affects what political outcomes are so as we go through these amendments and
laws which increase voting rights think about how each new group of voters might affect the overall opinion of the voting
population the first major expansion of voting rights happened in 1870 when the 15th amendment
was ratified and the 15th amendment extended suffrage the right to vote to african-american
men and men in particular at the time women were also hoping to get the right to
vote but there really was only the political will to grant suffrage to african-american men now this happened
immediately after the civil war which ended in 1865 and before the civil war really only
white men had the right to vote now the civil war ended slavery but it
didn't clear up the question of what the legal citizenship status of formerly enslaved men and women would
be and a lot of states in the south passed laws after the civil war specifically denying the right to vote
to african american men so in 1870 congress kind of fought back against this and they passed the 15th
amendment which was then ratified by the states the next notable expansion of voting rights didn't concern so much who
got to vote as who people got to vote for in 1913 the states ratified the 17th amendment which provided for the popular
election of senators so before 1913 senators were actually appointed by state legislatures
instead of directly elected by citizens like members of the house of representatives and switching to popular
election of senators is important because it gives citizens more say over the national government
so more say over who goes into congress and therefore more say over what kinds of laws that congress passes
and in 1920 women finally got the right to vote and the 19th amendment which doubled
the voting eligible population now let's talk about some more recent voting rights amendments and laws in
1964 and 1965 there were two amendments and pieces of federal legislation that had a major impact on african-american
voting rights now although african-american men technically got the
right to vote in 1870 african-american women technically got the right to vote in 1920 there were a
number of measures of voter suppression enacted in southern states that effectively prevented them from voting
one of these was the use of poll taxes which is effectively paying money for the right to vote the
24th amendment outlawed that and then the voting rights act took that a step further
by adding a number of other bans on voter suppression tactics in southern states
so in addition to poll taxes the voting rights act banned literacy tests and forms of voter suppression like
grandfather clauses which were laws that said you could only vote if your grandfather
had voted and while you might think oh literacy tests don't sound that bad it seems like a good idea to have a
literate voting population literacy tests really weren't fair because they were administered by local voting boards
who got to decide who was and was not literate so if you were an african-american man you could have been
a pulitzer prize-winning author and still had your local board say oh you're not literate so you're not eligible to
vote so things like poll taxes and literacy tests and grandfather clauses nowhere in the language of these voting
laws did they say you can't vote if you're black but they were very carefully crafted to specifically single
out and suppress the votes of african americans the voting rights act also provided for federal examiners
who had the power to register people to vote to monitor elections in jurisdictions
that had large black populations but few registered black voters and this effort was enormously successful
by the end of 1965 250 000
new african-american voters had been registered in southern states so imagine how all these new participants might
change legislative outcomes okay there are two more things i'd like to discuss now one aspect of voting rights you
might not have heard of is that until 1971 when the 26th amendment was ratified you
had to be 21 years old to vote now you can kind of guess at the reason behind this amendment based on its year 1971
the united states was involved in the vietnam war and young men were being drafted so it would have been possible
to be drafted for the u.s army at age 18 without ever having cast a vote it's amazing to think that the right to vote
for 18 year olds is less than 50 years old the last piece of legislation that i want to talk about is the motor voter
act which was passed in 1993 the official name of this is the national voter registration act of 1993 but it's
called the motor voter act because it requires states to provide individuals with the opportunity to register to vote
when they apply for or renew their driver's license so this makes it easier to register to
vote in the first place and it makes it easier to maintain your voter registration if you move to a new state
because you'll need to get a new driver's license so you can quickly make sure you get on the polls to vote in
your new state the motor voter act also requires states to allow individuals to register by mail
30 days before a federal election and to allow individuals to register to vote if they're going to an office
providing services to people with disabilities or public assistance so in general the motor voter
act makes it easier for people to get registered to vote and to stay registered to vote so it kind of
removes barriers to political participation so i know there's a lot of information here it's a lot to take in
but the biggest thing to take away from this again is how participation affects outcomes who gets to vote and more
importantly who does vote in any given election has an enormous impact on what kinds of politicians we elect and what
kind of policies they enact
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, was a pivotal moment in U.S. history as it granted African-American men the right to vote. This amendment was crucial following the Civil War, which ended slavery but left many questions about the citizenship status of formerly enslaved individuals. The 15th Amendment aimed to combat state laws that sought to suppress African-American voting rights.
Ratified in 1913, the 17th Amendment shifted the election of U.S. Senators from being appointed by state legislatures to being directly elected by the citizens. This change was significant as it increased public participation in the political process and allowed voters to have a direct say in their representation in Congress.
The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote, effectively doubling the eligible voting population in the U.S. This amendment marked a significant step towards gender equality in voting and expanded the democratic process by including women's voices in elections.
Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, various voter suppression tactics were employed, particularly in Southern states. These included poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses, which were designed to disenfranchise African-American voters. These measures often targeted individuals unfairly, allowing local boards to arbitrarily decide who was 'literate' or eligible to vote.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to eliminate voter suppression tactics by banning practices like poll taxes and literacy tests. It also established federal examiners to oversee voter registration and elections in areas with significant racial disparities in voter registration, leading to the registration of over 250,000 new African-American voters by the end of 1965.
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years old, reflecting the societal changes during the Vietnam War when young men could be drafted at 18 without having the right to vote. This amendment aimed to ensure that those who were eligible for military service also had a voice in the democratic process.
The Motor Voter Act, officially known as the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requires states to offer voter registration opportunities when individuals apply for or renew their driver's licenses. It simplifies the registration process, allows for mail-in registration, and ensures accessibility for individuals with disabilities, ultimately removing barriers to political participation.
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