The Amendments That Gave You the Right to Vote

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• The Amendments That Gave You the Right to Vote

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The Declaration of Independence

• We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
  men are created equal, that they are endowed by
  their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
  that among these are Life, Liberty and the
  pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence
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• In 1776, when America declared its independence
  from Britain, voting rights were based on
  property ownership.
• This meant that only white males, aged 21 or
  older, who owned property could vote.

Congressional Quarterly
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Minority Suffrage Movement

• We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
  men, regardless of race, are created equal, that
  they are endowed by their Creator with certain
  unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
  Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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The 15th Amendment

• Section 1 The rights of the citizens of the
  United States of America to vote shall not be
  denied or abridged by the United States or by any
  State on account of race, color, or previous
  condition of servitude.
• Section 2 The Congress shall have power to
  enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

United States Constitution
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• And so we shall have to do more than register
  and more than vote we shall have to create
  leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who
  have moral and ethical principles we can applaud
  with enthusiasm.
• - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Where Do We Go from Here Chaos or Community?,
1967
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The 15th Amendment

• The 15th Amendment was put into place because the
  former confederate states were using many
  different methods of stopping the minority groups
  from voting. Many people in the South found the
  idea of minorities voting appalling. The states
  counted minority males as citizens and therefore
  were getting more representation in Congress as
  well as the electoral college, yet they were not
  allowing said minorities to vote.

US Constitution Online
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Womens Suffrage Movement

• We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
  men and women, regardless of race, are created
  equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
  with certain unalienable Rights, that among these
  are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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"There never will be complete equality until
women themselves help to make laws and elect
lawmakers." -Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)-
"We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all
the civil and political rights that belong to
citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to
us and our daughters forever." -Declaration of
Rights for Women, July 1876
National Womens History Museum2007
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19th Amendment

• 1878
• The Womens Suffrage Amendment is first
  introduced in Congress.
• It fails to pass for over 40 years.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
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19th Amendment

• 1893
• Individual states begin to grant womens
  suffrage
• First is Colorado, followed by Utah and Idaho.

Congressional Quarterly
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19th Amendment

• 1918
• Suffrage Amendment passes the United States
  House with exactly two-thirds vote.
• However, it loses by two votes in the Senate.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
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19th Amendment

• 1919
• June 4th, the amendment finally passes the
  Senate.
• The battle for ratification by at least 36
  states begins.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
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19th Amendment

• 1920
• The Womens Suffrage Amendment is ratified by
  Tennessee on August 18th. It is the 19th
  Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• It becomes a law on August 26th.
• Women are finally granted the right to vote.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
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The 19th Amendment

• Section 1 - The right of the citizens of the
  United States to vote shall not be denied or
  abridged by the United States or by any State on
  account of sex.
• Section 2 - Congress shall have the power to
  enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The National Archives
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D.C. Suffrage Movement

• We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
  men and women, regardless of race, including
  those in the District of Columbia, are created
  equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
  with certain unalienable Rights, that among these
  are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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The 23rd Amendment

• Because the District of Columbia was not
  considered a state, its citizens were denied the
  right to vote in presidential elections.
• The 23rd Amendment changed that.
• Although they have no members of congress, they
  are allowed a specific number of electoral
  college representatives.

Time Magazine 1961
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Young Adult Suffrage Movement

• We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
  men and women who are at least 18 years of age,
  regardless of race, including those in the
  District of Columbia, are created equal, that
  they are endowed by their Creator with certain
  unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
  Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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The 26th Amendment

• Passed by Congress on March 23rd, 1971
• Ratified July 1st, 1971
• Section 1 - The right of citizens of the United
  States, who are eighteen years of age or older,
  to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the
  United States or by any state on account of age.
• Section 2 - The Congress shall have power to
  enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The National Archives
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The 26th Amendment

• The mission of this amendment was to correct the
  faults of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which
  was deemed unconstitutional by the United States
  Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that
  people between the ages of 18 and 20 could
  participate in national elections however, they
  could not participate in state or local elections
  because it violated states rights under the
  Constitution.

Congressional Quarterly
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The 26th Amendment

• Due to the 26th Amendment, 11 million people
  between the ages of 18 and 20 were indulged the
  right to vote, as well as another 14 million
  people between the ages of 21 and 25 who were
  previously ineligible to vote in the 1968
  presidential election.

Congressional Quarterly
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Jennings Randolph"Father of the 26th Amendment"

• "They possess a great social conscience, are
  perplexed by the injustices in the world, and
  are anxious to rectify those ills."
• We have needs and problems and goals to share
  Its a test of our purpose,and how much we
  care.
• The time is now! Citizens, awake!Battalions
  for the ballot! Our future is at stake!

The Agribusiness Council 2007
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• Mike Parr
• Sandra Garcia
• Nick Hastings
• Tosha Carter
• Jimmy Easley
• Aleksandra Sasha Hudak