Objectives By the end of this lesson, I will be able to… Identify the laws and amendments that altered U.S. voting laws Identify obstacles to voting Determine whether individuals living at various times in U.S. history would have been able to vote

Voting Rights

Voter handbook Due Monday, November 6

TimeLine of Suffrage 1789 Originally, only adult white male landowners could vote Got this idea from England The idea was that only landowners were responsible enough to make decision Federalists supported this James Madison; elitists

Out of the voting Process! This left… Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People Out of the voting Process!

Independence and Voting The framers couldn’t decide on who should be able to vote Left it up to the states to determine voter qualifications

Timeline of Suffrage Over time, states began dropping the property requirement New York dropped it in 1821 Rhode Island didn’t change until 1880

Who is left out now? Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People

Timeline of Suffrage The African American Vote 1870- The 15th Amendment The right to vote cannot be denied based on race This amendment wasn’t always followed More on that in a minute

Who is left out now? Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People

Can I vote? WHY? The year is 1915. I am a single African American Man living in Chicago, Illinois. Yes! No!

Timeline of Suffrage Wyoming gave women the right to vote in state elections in 1869 Women received the national right to vote in 1920 The 19th Amendment Voting cannot be denied based on sex

Who is left out now? Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People

Can I vote? WHY? The year is 1924. I am a woman living in new York City. I am 25, married, and have two children. Yes! No!

TimeLine of Suffrage Native Americans were granted U.S. citizenship in 1924 Along with citizenship, the right to vote

Who is left out now? Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People

Can I vote? WHY? I am a native American living in Montana in the year 1910. I’m 65 years old, married, have three children, and 7 grandkids. Yes! No!

Timeline of Suffrage Residents of Washington, DC couldn’t vote for President until the 23rd amendment was ratified in 1961 Washington, DC still doesn’t have voting representatives in Congress

Can I vote? WHY? I live in Washington, D.C. just down the street from the White House. The year is 1956. I am a 35 year old woman with two children. Can I vote for president? Yes! No!

Timeline of Suffrage In the 1960s and 1970s, many young men were drafted into the Vietnam conflict The average age of a person in combat was 19 years old The voting age was 21 In 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified Lowered the voting age to 18

Who is left out now? Poor White Males Women Native Americans Africans (free and slave) Young People

Can I vote? WHY? I just graduated from high school in Maryland, Class of 1972! I am 18 years old and just got drafted to fight in the war in Vietnam. Yes! No!

Voting is a civil Right

Voting as a Civil Right After the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, many people in the South did not want African Americans to have the same rights as white Americans. This included the right to vote or hold office. Jim Crow Laws racial segregation laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 in the United States at the state and local level.

Barriers to African American Voting Limited opportunities to register to vote Arrest and beatings by police Threats of violence toward voter’s family and home Personal information shared with groups like the KKK and employers Unfair tests at the polls

Poll Tests This poll test asks voters to correctly guess the number of cotton balls in a jar before they are allowed to vote. Other tests asked voters to guess the number of bubbles in a bar of soap!

Literacy tests type of poll test that was given in some locations Voters were tested on their reading skills white voters always passed while African American voters usually failed

Voting requirements in the south Alabama Louisiana 1) Read a section of the Constitution out loud. 2) Tell what the section says in your own words. 3) Write out another section of the Constitution. 4) Answer eight questions on the Constitution. Voters who could not prove a 5th grade education had to: 1) Complete a 30 question test 2) Finish the test in 10 minutes! Many African Americans in these states lacked a quality education, and the tests were meant to exclude blacks from the voting process.

Louisiana Literacy Test Alabama Literacy Test Louisiana Literacy Test

Other Barriers to Voting The Grandfather Clause stated that you only had the right to vote if your grandfather also had the right to vote. The Poll Tax required voters to pay for the ability to vote. $1.50 1932 = $23.00 Today

Can I vote? WHY? I am a 22 year old African American man living in the deep South in 1948. I work in the cotton fields and cannot read or write. Yes! No!

The Civil Rights Movement Over time, more and more people demanded civil rights for all Americans. 1964- 24th amendment is passed Banned poll taxes 1965- Voting Rights Act Reinforced the 15th amendment and forced the states to obey the constitution

Review Time!

Currently, Do you have to own land to vote in the United States? Yes Or NO All land ownership requirements ended by 1880!

Rhode Island was the first state to give women the vote. TRUE Or FALSE Wyoming gave women the right to vote in 1869.

Forcing people to pay for the right to vote was called a _________? Literacy Test Or Poll Tax Poll taxes were used to keep poor African Americans from voting.

Are Native Americans US citizens? Yes Or NO The Indian Citizenship Act was passed in 1924.

The Voting Rights Act reinforced the 15th Amendment. After the 15th Amendment, many states and counties still prevented African Americans from voting. The Voting Rights Act was written to remove these barriers. True Or false

Which war led to the passage of the 26th Amendment? Many of the soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War were too young to vote. The 26th Amendment moved the voting age from 21 to 18. World War Two Or The Vietnam War

Are residents of Washington, D.C. banned from voting for the President? Yes Or NO The 23rd Amendment was passed in 1961. Now people can vote in D.C!

Voting Timeline Determine if your assigned part of the timeline is… A date/people involved A law or amendment A fun fact Find other people in the class that have information related to your piece of information Place the correct information in the correct order on the timeline in the hallway

On your own… Complete the “Can I Vote?” activity and turn it in!