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15th amendment ratified
The 15th Amendment states that you can not be denied voting based on your race, color, or previous servitude that you may have conducted. The first state to ratify this amendment was Nevada, and the last state to ratify this amendment was Tennessee in 1997. Many Southern states found loopholes around the 15th Amendment originally, but they were all put down in 1965 after the Voting Rights Act was passed. Ducksters -
19th amendment ratified
The 19th Amendment states that voting rights can not be denied to anyone based on sex/gender. Although the 19th amendment does not directly refer to women, it is often considered to be the women suffrage amendment as it allowed woman to finally gain the right to vote after years of protest. (Carnegie)[https://carnegiecarnegie.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/WH-Trivia.pdf] -
Jennings Randolph - Voting Age
Jennings Randolph is often considered the father of the 26th amendment. In 1942 (could not find month) Jennings Randolph proposed to lower the voting age limit to 18. This proposal was rejected dozens of times over a period of almost 4 decades. however, in 1971 the 26th Amendment passed causing the voting age to be lowered to 18 years or older (Annenbergclassroom) [https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/timeline_event/jennings-randolph-introduces-a-proposal-to-lower-the-voting-age/] -
Motor Voter Law
The Motor Voter law was passed by Congress in 1963 (could not find month) to make it easier to vote. It made it easier to register to vote. The law forced states to allow voter registration by mail. This law caused there to be 630,000 more registered voters after only 2 months. Meaning that this law boosted the voter turnout by a lot. (Quizlet)[https://quizlet.com/7340423/ap-nsl-chapter-6-flash-cards/] -
24th amendment ratified
The 24th Amendment forbade and abolished any taxes voters faced in order to vote. For example, poll taxes were abolished as the South tried to use these to minimize African-American votes. This amendment helped the 15th amendment go into full effect as African Americans truly got the right to vote without having to worry about taxes or literacy tests. (Congress)[https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-24/} -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a campaign/project conducted in Mississippi in which the goal was to increase the number of African Americans who were registered to vote. Over 700 volunteers joined who happened to consist of mostly white men. 17,000 black Americans attempted to register to vote, but only 1,200 people successfully got registered. Although it was not fully successful, it was a big step in Black American suffrage. (History.com) [https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer] -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed any voting practice deemed discriminatory. Practices such as literacy tests and many more were banned in the country. This Act helped put the 15th amendment into full effect as it shut down the loop holes the Southern States were using in order to prevent African Americans from voting. (Archives) [https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/voting-rights-act#:~:text=This%20act%20was%20signed%20into,as%20a%20prerequisite%20to%20voting.] -
26th amendment ratified
The 16th Amendment states that anyone 18 or older has the right to vote. This amendment was essentially created in response to the Vietnam War. Many soldiers were getting drafted at the age of 18 and getting sent into war. In response, the public believed that they should be able to vote and voice their opinion as they were getting sent into warfare. (Have fun with history)[https://www.havefunwithhistory.com/facts-about-the-twenty-sixth-amendment/] -
Alice Paul - equal rights amendment proposition
Alice Paul along with another leader of the women's suffrage movement drafted the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923 (could not find exact month). The Amendment proposed would have stated that voting can not be denied based off sex/gender. The amendment was not accepted originally. But the amendment would eventually pass on March 23, 1973. (Brennan Center)[https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/equal-rights-amendment-explained] -
Disabilities Act
The Disabilities Act was passed in order to give people with disabilities the same rights as everyone else. The disabilities act banned discrimination against people with disabilities and allowed people with them to have equal opportunities, this means that people who might have been held back from voting due to a disability no longer could be held back as this act made sure everyone was treated equally, meaning they can vote as well. (Adata.org) [https://adata.org/learn-about-ada}