Simone Lawson
The original U.S. Constitution did not define who could vote, leaving the states to determine voter eligibility. The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, extended voting rights to men of all races, while the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited states from denying the vote based on sex. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, removed barriers to voting by prohibiting poll taxes, and the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18. These constitutional amendments, along with federal laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965, have played a crucial role in expanding and protecting voting rights in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| 15th Amendment | Gave African American men the right to vote in 1870 |
| 19th Amendment | Gave women the right to vote in 1920 |
| 24th Amendment | Eliminated poll taxes in 1964 |
| 26th Amendment | Lowered the voting age for all elections to 18 in 1971 |
| Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or membership in a language minority group |
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What You'll Learn
The 15th Amendment (1870)
The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on February 3, 1870, prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment, coming after the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship and equal protection under the laws to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.
The 15th Amendment was a significant step forward in the struggle for racial equality in the United States, particularly for African Americans, many of whom were newly freed slaves. This amendment granted them the right to vote and participate in the democratic process. The first black person known to vote after the amendment's adoption was Thomas Mundy Peterson, who cast his ballot on March 31, 1870, in a Perth Amboy, New Jersey, referendum election. During Reconstruction, 16 black men served in Congress, and 2,000 black men served in elected local, state, and federal positions.
However, despite the 15th Amendment's guarantees, African Americans still faced significant barriers to voting, including violence, intimidation, and discriminatory laws and practices. White supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used paramilitary violence to prevent blacks from voting. To address this, Congress passed the Enforcement Acts in 1870-1871, authorizing federal prosecution of the KKK and others who violated the 15th Amendment.
Additionally, some states enacted literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers that made it harder for African Americans to exercise their right to vote. Despite these challenges, the 15th Amendment was a pivotal moment in the history of civil rights in the United States, marking a significant step towards racial equality and political empowerment for African American men.
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The 19th Amendment (1920)
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on 18 August 1920, granted American women the right to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and the wider women's rights movement. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of women's suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practised civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution.
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected in 1887. In the 1890s, suffrage organisations focused on a national amendment while still working at the state and local levels. By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organisations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment. On 21 May 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on 18 August 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states.
The 19th Amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote, stating that "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 sex". This amendment changed the face of the American electorate forever, and an annual celebration of its passage, known as Women's Equality Day, began on 26 August 1973.
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The 24th Amendment (1964)
The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1964, eliminated the use of poll taxes as a requirement for voting in federal elections. Poll taxes were adopted by Southern states in the late 19th century to exclude Black Americans from politics without violating the Fifteenth Amendment, which stated that voting rights could not be limited by "race, colour, or previous condition of servitude". In practice, poll taxes disproportionately affected poor voters, including both African Americans and poor white voters.
Five states retained a poll tax when the 24th Amendment was ratified in 1964: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia. The amendment prohibited the use of poll taxes for voters in federal elections, but it did not explicitly ban poll taxes for state elections. This led to litigation and further clarification from the Supreme Court in 1966, which ruled that poll taxes were unconstitutional for any level of elections.
The 24th Amendment was proposed by Congress on August 27, 1962, and ratified relatively quickly, taking just over a year. The final vote in the House was 295–86, with 54 members abstaining, while the Senate vote was 77–16, with 7 members abstaining. President Lyndon B. Johnson hailed the amendment as a "triumph of liberty over restriction" and "a verification of people's rights".
The 24th Amendment was a significant step forward in removing barriers to voting and ensuring that all citizens, regardless of race or economic status, had the opportunity to participate in federal elections. It was part of a broader movement to secure voting rights for all Americans and to address the long history of discriminatory voting practices in the United States.
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The Voting Rights Act (1965)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark federal statute in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, it was designed to enforce the voting rights protected by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The Act sought to secure the right to vote for racial minorities, particularly in the South, where African Americans faced significant obstacles to voting, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and other bureaucratic restrictions. These restrictions, along with intimidation, economic reprisals, and physical violence, limited African-American voter registration and political power.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the culmination of efforts by civil rights organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to protect the voting rights of racial minorities. It was also influenced by peaceful demonstrations and protests in Alabama, particularly in Selma, where violent resistance to African-American voter registration efforts brought national attention to the issue. The Act outlawed discriminatory voting practices and required certain jurisdictions to obtain federal approval before passing voter restrictions. It also mandated the appointment of federal examiners with the power to register qualified citizens to vote in covered jurisdictions.
One of the key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was its prohibition on denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color, closely following the language of the Fifteenth Amendment. It also directed the Attorney General to challenge the use of poll taxes in state and local elections, which had been abolished in national elections by the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964. The Act was amended in 1970, 1975, and 1982 to expand its protections, including the addition of language assistance requirements for voters not proficient in English.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 had an immediate impact, with a quarter of a million new Black voters registered by the end of 1965, one-third by federal examiners. It is considered the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country and the most significant statutory change in the relationship between federal and state governments regarding voting since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. However, it continues to face legal challenges, with Supreme Court rulings in 2013 and 2021 weakening its enforcement.
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The 26th Amendment (1971)
The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on July 1, 1971, lowered the voting age of citizens from 21 to 18 years old. The official text of the Amendment is as follows:
> "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. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
The sentiment to lower the nation's voting age dates back to World War II. During the war, President Roosevelt lowered the draft age of young men from 21 to 18, which led to widespread dismay over the fact that these young men could fight and die for their country but could not participate in its democratic process through voting. The slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" gained popularity, and eventually, a proposal for a constitutional amendment to grant 18-year-olds the right to vote was put forward.
The earliest calls for lowering the voting age emerged in the 1940s, with Congressional proposals endorsed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Later, in the 1960s and early 1970s, increasing public opposition to the Vietnam War renewed debates over voting age. With the military draft age set at 18, many conscripted citizens were effectively ordered to fight in a conflict over which they had no political authority to vote. The argument that if one was old enough to serve the country in the military, one should be able to vote, gained traction.
The 26th Amendment has faced several legal challenges since its ratification, with arguments surrounding issues such as the representation of out-of-town college students at the polls and the applicability of the amendment to other political institutions like jury service.
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Frequently asked questions
The 15th Amendment, or "The Right to Vote", was passed in 1870 and gave African American men the right to vote.
The 15th Amendment was significant in extending voting rights to men of all races. However, the right to vote was interpreted narrowly, and discriminatory practices prevented many African Americans from exercising their voting rights.
The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited states from denying women the right to vote, ensuring voting rights for all citizens regardless of gender.
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, removed barriers to voting by prohibiting poll taxes, which had been used to restrict voting access, particularly for African Americans.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or language minority status. It also required certain places to provide election materials in languages other than English. The Civil Rights Acts, including the Civil Rights Act of 1870, also created early federal protections against voting discrimination.
