Chapter 17Section 2

Expanding Voting Rights

Mr. Young

American Government

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

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

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.”

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

“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.

Women’s Suffrage in front of White House

Alice Paul: Leader of Women’s Suffrage Movement

Video on Women’s Suffrage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvqnjwKW7gA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiadX_0J8eA&feature=related

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

African American Suffrage Video

http://www.mrctv.org/node/76811

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

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

Literacy Tests

http://rights.teachingmatters.org/files/images/african/1965_test.html

http://kpearson.project.tcnj.edu/interactive/imm_files/test.html

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

Video on African American Suffrage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D20exT32bQ&feature=relmfu

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

Voting Rights Act Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ2j8zSxPgU

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

26th Amendment Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re0BQzwvDsU