My topic is on the morality of implementing a literacy test for voters. The topic question is, “should people in the U.S. pass a scientific literacy test before being able to vote?” Voters are the population at center of this topic and deserve attention, because they are the building blocks of the U.S. Republic with great influence on government officials at all levels. This scientific literacy test will not be a series of questions and will not be used to quantify the test taker’s knowledge on scientific subjects, but rather will be two questions: 1. Are you aware of what the goal of science is? (Yes or No) 2. Do you have an appreciation for how scientific knowledge, understanding and its application benefit humanity? (Yes or No) I will use …show more content…
The establishing of voting rights for all Americans has been a painfully slow and grueling task. In the book, The Voting Rights Act: Securing the Ballot by Richard M. Valelly, the history of African American voting rights is described in great detail. First, Valelly walks through the building of African American voting rights in the 19th century and then covers the following years of black disenfranchisement. Then a turning point in American democracy occurs, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The creation, extensions, shortcoming, and impact of this legislation are fleshed out next. I will also explain the history of black enfranchisement in this …show more content…
The language of the law in a handful of states even specifically mentioned that a qualification to vote was to be white and a land owner. It wasn’t until the Emancipation Proclamation that black men had hopes of having the same rights as their white counterparts and it was not until after the war where black suffrage laws were passed. Post-civil war America took leaps and bounds forward for African Americans. Three important documents for the recently freed slaves were the 13th (1865), 14th (1868), and 15th amendment (1870). These were the first amendments added to the U.S. constitution in 60 years and were known as the Civil War Amendments (Landmark). These amendments were created to secure equality for the freed slaves. The 13th amendment freed the slaves and the 14th gave them equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment, Section 1, reads as, “The right of citizens of the United States 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.” (U.S. Const. Amend.
Finally, with the ratification the fifteenth amendment in 1870s, it secured the vote for the African Americans, and it forbid states from denying any citizens from the right to vote based on race, color, or “previous condition of servitude.” These three amendments were significant changes during the Reconstruction period because all people, not just white, can fully enjoy being an American citizen without worrying over their race or
In some community’s blacks were denied the right to vote, adequate education for their
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that was enacted to protect the voting rights of African Americans and other minority groups. The law was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, and has been credited with increasing the political power and representation of minority groups in the United States. This essay will explore the background, significance, and impact of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the current challenges and controversies surrounding the law. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, voting rights were often denied to African Americans and other minority groups through a variety of discriminatory practices, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and other measures.
The 13th amendment enforces the ban on slavery. The 14th amendment gave Congress authority to enforce the amendment’s prohibition on a state’s denial of equal protection of the laws. Also established the citizenship birthright meaning anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen. There is also no denying the person in the United States life, liberty, or property without due process. The 15th amendment gave Congress authority to enforce the amendment’s ban on discrimination by race,
In the Jim Crow context, the presidential election of 1912 was steeply slanted against the interests of black Americans. A majority of African Americans are still settling in the South, where they are currently facing stringent restrictions so they could not vote at all. While
The 15th Amendment (Amendment XV), which gave African-American men the right to vote, was inserted into the U.S. Constitution on March 30, 1870. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment says, “The right of citizens of the United States 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.” Although the amendment was passed in the late 1870s, many racist practices were used to oppose African-Americans from voting, especially in the Southern States like Georgia and Alabama. After many years of racism, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overthrow legal barricades at the state and local levels that deny African-Americans their right to vote. In the
The 15th amendment aimed to give more federal protection to former slaves. Specifically, this amendment gave all male citizens, including former slaves the right to vote. Next, this other civil rights act granted equal rights to whites and African Americans in all public locations. This was helpful to former slaves, because it made them feel respected. Except, it was not strictly
To accomplish social equality and justice has been a long controversial issue in U.S. history. Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be understood as a tremendous accomplishment today because it not only represent a symbol of the triumph of fighting social injustice, but also open the first gate for African American and minority to strive for more political power in order to create a “great society.”
Even though it granted Blacks citizenship it did not give them equality, and soon arose numerous
The United States of America is the is known for its freedoms. One of those freedoms that many citizens favor is being able to vote. Voting is one of the reasons why the United States of America is the way it is today. However, since America is known for its freedom many have migrated here to live their own life and they want to obtain the same rights as a person who was born in the states, particularly voting rights. Should voting privileges be extended to everyone in America regardless of their citizenship status?
President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Subsequently, the federal government would assist African-Americans to use their right to vote. As one of the century’s most prominent campaigners, Martin Luther King has remained the most public face of the Civil Rights enterprise. King's message of non-violence as well as his contribution to influence social change, has made him a respected figure in the world arena. Successively, King’s initiative set the Civil Rights Movement in motion, making it possible to carry out equality for African-Americans in the United
Although technically people of color had the right, white people were making it very difficult to register. When African Americans went to register they would be tested continuously, something white people never had to deal with. Only two percent of African Americans in the south could vote. Before the march from Selma to Montgomery there were many protests to try to gain fair voting rights. One man, Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed at a peaceful protest by a state trooper.
Even though the government adopted the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African Americans’ suffrages were still restricted because of southern states’ obstructions. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was important for blacks to participate in political elections, but before this act was passed, there were several events led to its proposal. The government gave African Americans’ the right to vote by passing the 15th Amendment, but in the Southern States, blacks’ suffrages were limited by grandfather clauses, “poll taxes, literacy tests, and other bureaucratic restrictions” (ourdocuments.gov). As times went on, most African Americans couldn’t register their votes.
According to Voter Institute, Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning than to fall victim to voter fraud. However, states consistently cite this problem to justify strict voter identification laws, a popular form of voter discrimination today. It is for this reason that the Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 to prevent the disenfranchisement of minority voters. However, in June 2013, the Supreme Court case, Shelby County v. Holder, deemed Section 4(b) of the act, the list of states subjected to preclearance, unconstitutional. Critics argue that the Section 4 states no longer displayed the same amount of blatant discrimination compared to the past rates which had warranted the burdens of preclearance.
It was not until 1865 that slavery was abolished and African-Americans gained some of the civil rights they deserved. Blacks and whites were still segregated for many years after the abolishment of slavery. Women were not equal to men and in 1920 the 19th amendment was passed granting women the right to vote. It wasn’t until much later better steps were achieved, women and African-Americans wanted more rights to be considered equal. Women, “In addition to demanding equality in the workplace, women demanded full control over their bodies and their reproductive system” (Bentley and Ziegler).