History of Voting Timeline

  • North Carolina Constitution

    North Carolina Constitution
    The North Carolina Constitution was ratified on November 21, 1789. This is what structures and helps function the government. The NC Constitution is also known as the highest document of the state. This is a significant event because this document helped in expanding the rights of citizens for those who live in NC. It also expanded the sections of the government.
  • 15th Amendment

    15th Amendment
    The 15th Amendment was passed after the Civil War and was passed to protect voting rights of male african americans. It was also used as a way to reach the Republicans power to the north and south. The reason this event is significant is because it states that your right to vote as a citizen cannot be altered or denied by the government or states. This later led to African Americans running for office and voting.
  • Jim Crow Laws

    Jim Crow Laws
    Jim Crow Laws was a collection of statutes that legalized racial segregation. It was meant for African Americans by not allowing them to vote, get jobs, education, and other opportunities. This is significant because it was one of the causes for the Civil Rights Movement. It also caused the proposal of many anti-racial laws throughout the U.S.
  • 19th Amendment

    19th Amendment
    The 19th Amendment is the amendment that gave women the right to vote. During this time there was a fight for women's suffrage and acts from Ida B.Wells and Alice Paul led to the amendment. The significance of this event is that it granted women voting rights that were equal to mens voting rights. It also leads to women being heard more in politics.
  • Indian Citizinship act

    Indian Citizinship act
    The Indian Citizenship act was made to give Native Americans citizenship and voting rights. Before this they had only tried giving citizenship to the Indian Veterans and female Native Americans who have married a citizen. Instead this act granted all Indians citizenship and voting rights.This event's significance is that this act did not fully ensure the Indians voting rights.Their right to vote was limited by the government and was left up to the states to decide.
  • 23rd Amendment

    23rd Amendment
    Gives the ability for the people in the District of Columbia to vote for the next President and Vice President. The Amendment also stated restrictions and regulations when it came to the number of voting members of the country’s least populous state. This is significant because it allowed the District of Columbia to have a right to vote. Even though it didn’t give the district the right to vote fully, it at least gave them the right to be included in some way when it came to politics.
  • 24th Amendment

    24th Amendment
    During this time there were states that had poll taxes which is when you have to pay before voting and this had an impact on african american voters. The 24th Amendment prohibits poll taxes in elections. This is important because poll taxes had a negative impact on African American voters and caused them to have no political power. Ending these poll taxes paved the way towards the Voting Rights Act which would change African Americans political power.
  • Voting Rights Act

    Voting Rights Act
    The Voting Rights Act allowed African Americans to vote. It made the ability to use literacy tests and other methods that exclude African Americans from voting prohibited. This is significant because it allowed African Americans to have the ability to be included in politics. It's also important because it broke barriers in society, and it was a big step to equality among society.
  • 26th Amendment

    26th Amendment
    Allows people 18+ to vote. Things that lead up to this amendment are Roosevelt changing the draft age from 21 to 18 during WW2 and during the Vietnam war the slogan “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” was brought back up. This is a significant Amendment because it gave the right to vote to people 18 and older. Many people believe that if men are able to fight for our country at 18 why shouldn't they be allowed to participate in something that is a fundamental process in our country.