1. Expanding Voting Rights Mr. Young American Government
Chapter 17 Section 2
Expanding Voting Rights
Mr. Young
American Government

3. Early Limitations on Voting
Voting is not a privilege, it is a right
Suffrage- right to vote, foundation of American democracy
Right to vote is not absolute, it is subject to rules and regulations

4. Early limitations Cont.
Only white, property owning males who paid their taxes could vote
This resulted in about 5% to 6% of total adult population
Universal male suffrage would not come until the mid 1800’s

5. Early Limitations Cont.
Educated men of the time did not believe in mass democracy
Voting best left to wealthy, white, property-owning males.
John Jay, “The people who own the country ought to govern it.”

6. Woman Suffrage By 1914, women had the right to vote in 11 states
Not until after WW1, in 1920, were women given the right to vote, 19th Amendment

7. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton
“I will never pay a dollar for your unjust fine.” Susan B. Anthony refused to pay a $100 fine for voting in the 1872 Presidential Election.
                                                                                             
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton

8. Women’s Suffrage in front of White House

9. Alice Paul: Leader of Women’s Suffrage Movement

10. Video on Women’s Suffrage

11. African American Suffrage
15th Amendment (1870)- Gave African Americans the right to vote
Also first time national government had set rules for voting, a power only the states had previously exercised

12. African American Suffrage Video

13. Grandfather Clause
Provided that only voters whose grandfather had voted before 1867 were eligible to vote without paying a poll tax or passing a literacy test.
Supreme court declared it unconstitutional in 1915

14. Literacy Test Many states required you to pass a literacy test to vote
White men only needed to sign their name, African Americans had to interpret complicated parts of literature

15. Literacy Tests

16. Poll Taxes
Amount of money that had to be paid before a person could vote
Had to be paid in advance, and paid for previous unpaid years, and had to keep track of receipt showing you paid
Eventually outlawed by 24th Amendment in 1964

17. Video on African American Suffrage

18. Voting Rights Acts
Passed in 1965, one of most effective suffrage laws ever passed
Federal government could register voters if it seemed they were being discriminated against
Provided poll watchers, literacy tests abolished, ballots were to be printed in different languages
African Americans could now play a more important role in Southern political life

19. Voting Rights Act Video

20. 26th Amendment
Vietnam War, if 18 years olds could be drafted and fight for our country, they should be able to vote
Passed in 1971
Gave around 10 million more citizens the right to vote
GA and KY first two states to lower their voting age to 18

21. 26th Amendment Video