Literacy tests

POP QUIZ! I need you to fill out the following test to check that you have retained the information from the Constitution test you took last semester You will have 10 minutes to complete as much as possible Work alone I have not decided whether or not this will count for a grade

POP QUIZ! Pass your exam to the person behind you, they will be grading it.

POP QUIZ! How did you do? You just took a 1965 Alabama Literacy Test to see if you were qualified to vote. Would you have passed?

Discussion Questions Answer the following questions on your notes sheet as we go through them

Discussion Question #1 How would you feel if the test would have determined if you were allowed to vote?

Discussion Question #2 Do you think that people should have to take a test before they are allowed to vote? Why or why not?

What are the requirements to vote in the United States today? Discussion Question #3 What are the requirements to vote in the United States today?

Requirements to Vote Must be a United States citizen Must be 18 years old Must be a resident of the area you are voting in at least 30 days before the election Must register to vote

Voting Restrictions Not only were people forced to take literacy tests before voting, there were other methods used to restrict voting privileges

Voting Restrictions Grandfather Clause If you were a descendent of someone who voted in 1867 or before, you were exempt from voting regulations Before 1867, only whites voted in the South

Literacy Test Used to keep African Americans and uneducated white people from voting Those in charge of voter registration could decide who has to take a literacy test Could ask them one question or all of them

Poll Tax Sometimes had to pay a monetary fine (poll tax) in order to be eligible to vote Most African Americans could not afford it

Transportation African American drivers would be arrested and held in jail until the polls closed

Gerrymandering To divide an area into election districts to give a political party or group an advantage

Solution? Read the following excerpts from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 You will be assigned to a group of three Answer the questions on your notes sheet You will have ten minutes

What is the purpose/main idea of the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Enforce the 15th amendment of the Constitution

What is the main idea of Section 2? No state or governmental group can make a person perform a task or pass a test before being allowed to vote

What does “prerequisite” mean? Something required to be done or accomplished before something else can happen Examples: You cannot use the computers at school until you log-in You must pass a written or driving test before you are given your driver’s license or permit Can you think of any examples?

What is the main idea of Section 3? When something is enacted to enforce the 15th amendment, someone will be appointed by the Federal Government to ensure that it is followed

What is the main idea of Section 4? A state cannot require voters to take a test or something similar to it in order to vote in any federal, state, or local election

Exit Slip Watch the video clip of Rahm Emanuel (future mayor of Chicago) Answer the following question: Why does Rahm Emanuel support the Voting Rights Act? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D20exT32bQ