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North Carolina's 1776 Constitution
Speaker Richard Caswell made a document to reestablish the rights of the people and government that was compatible to the struggles of America at that time. Voting for leaders was a power given to the General Assembly by this Constitution.
This helped us realize that we could not have other people decide these things for us. It sowed us that we need to be able to make these decisions ourselves. It contributes to today's Democracy because we no have more power than what we did in 1776. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Leader and activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton created a document that called for women's equality and women's rights. On July 20 this Deceleration was ratified and gave the right to vote to women.
This is significant for us because today women can vote and that might not have been possible without these women. If men are out at war and fighting then no one is back home voting for a better leader, but now because of this deceleration women can vote. -
Passage of 15th Amendment
After the Civil War African Americans still could not vote because of who they were. many things were put against them to keep them from voting such as reading tests, taxes, and the grandfather clause.
This is significant because it allowed any one to vote no matter their race, color, or anything. -
Voting During Jim Crow
May white people in Mississippi help a convention exclude black people from voting. They could not do that do to the 15th amendment so they set many obstacles in the way to ensure that black voters could not participate. Three things did this poll taxes, the grandfather clause, and a literacy test.
This influenced today because now these things are considered unconstitutional and have been banned. This makes it easier to vote and it makes it free to have a say in how we are govern. -
Passage of 17th Amendment
It explains rules for getting a Senator. In 2004 it was called for a repealed because Zee Miller thought that it upset the balance between the state and federal government.
This is important because it explains more about the voting of a Senator. That is important because a Senator makes choices and some of those choices reflect back to us. -
Passage of 19th Amendment
This says that it does not matter what gender you are you can still vote. Jeannette Rankin persuaded her home town to vote. After this she successfully ran for Congress as a Republican in 1916. After she retired she continued to work lectures, and speeches about her cause.
This is important because now women can vote. Women are very important because in case of a war we will have very few men left at home to vote for leaders. This leaves the women to decide how to serve alone. -
Indian Citizenship Act
Before this, citizenship of people with Indian blood was added slowly. After the act was passed Native Americans were still somewhat restricted form voting and were never fully allowed to vote until the early 20th century.
This is important because many people have some Native American blood in them and it is important to let everyone vote. If not every one votes there is a bigger chance of rebellion because many people would be unhappy. -
Passage of the 23rd Amendment
This essentially allowed the District of Columbia to have representation in the House and Senate. This also gave the District four electors instead of three to reflect its population size.
This is important because it is very important to make sure that every voice is heard and represented. It is also important because they have a bigger representation than some states because of their population and that gives them a slightly bigger voice. -
Passage of 24th Amendment
This says that it doesn't matter if you pay taxes or not, you can still vote. After this was passed both literacy tests and poll taxes were both illegal and banned.
This was important because it brought us closer to the America we know today. This made it easier to vote and have a say in who governs you. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This was made to break down more of the barriers that kept African Americans from voting. It also backed up the 15th Amendment which allowed black folks to vote.
This is important because it broke the final barriers for voting. This means that now most anyone can vote and our country can expand and become better. -
Passage of 26th Amendment
This allowed anyone eighteen or older to vote. Many young men refused to be drafted because it was another year of the Vietnamese War. These men could not vote and they had no say in the government and yet they had to go to war for it.
This is important because now even more people can vote and have a better say in our government.
