13.1 Historical Development of Voting Rights

Voting rights in America have a complex history of exclusion and gradual expansion. From property requirements to poll taxes, literacy tests to Jim Crow laws, various barriers kept many from the ballot box. Women and racial minorities fought long battles for suffrage.

The 19th Amendment granted women voting rights in 1920. The Civil Rights Movement pushed for African American voting equality. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned discriminatory practices, increasing minority voter participation and representation in government.

Restrictive Voting Practices

Property and Financial Barriers to Voting

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• Property qualifications limited voting rights to landowners or those with substantial property assets
  • Excluded large portions of the population, particularly the poor and working class
  • Varied by state but typically required owning a certain amount of land or paying a specific amount in taxes
• Poll taxes required voters to pay a fee to cast their ballot
  • Disproportionately affected low-income individuals and minorities
  • Ranged from $1 to$2 annually, equivalent to about $30 to$60 in today's currency
  • Remained in effect in some states until the ratification of the 24th Amendment in 1964

Educational and Racial Barriers to Voting

• Literacy tests assessed a voter's ability to read and write
  • Often administered unfairly, with more difficult tests given to African Americans and immigrants
  • Included tasks like reading complex legal documents or interpreting obscure constitutional provisions
• Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern United States
  • Implemented various voting restrictions targeting African Americans
  • Included separate and unequal facilities for voting, intimidation tactics, and violence
• Grandfather clauses exempted individuals from literacy tests if their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before 1867
  • Effectively excluded most African Americans whose ancestors were enslaved and unable to vote
  • Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Guinn v. United States (1915)

Suffrage Movements

Women's Fight for Voting Rights

• Suffrage refers to the right to vote in political elections
  • Historically denied to various groups based on gender, race, and socioeconomic status
• Women's suffrage movement advocated for women's right to vote
  • Began in the mid-19th century and gained momentum in the early 20th century
  • Key figures included Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul
  • Utilized tactics such as peaceful protests, lobbying, and civil disobedience (hunger strikes)
  • Culminated in the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote

Civil Rights Movement and Voting Equality

• Civil Rights Movement fought for equal rights and an end to racial discrimination
  • Spanned from the 1950s to the 1960s, led by figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis
  • Focused on various issues, including voting rights for African Americans
  • Employed strategies such as boycotts, sit-ins, and large-scale marches (March on Washington)
• Voting rights became a central focus of the movement
  • Highlighted the systematic disenfranchisement of African American voters
  • Organized voter registration drives and challenged discriminatory voting practices
  • Led to increased public awareness and pressure for federal action on voting rights

Federal Voting Rights Legislation

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Its Impact

• Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to enforce the 15th Amendment and eliminate discriminatory voting practices
  • Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965
  • Prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory practices
  • Established federal oversight of election procedures in states with a history of discrimination
• Key provisions of the Voting Rights Act included:
  • Section 2: Prohibited voting practices that discriminate based on race or color
  • Section 4: Established a formula to determine which states required federal preclearance
  • Section 5: Required certain jurisdictions to obtain federal approval before changing voting procedures
• Impact of the Voting Rights Act:
  • Dramatically increased voter registration and turnout among African Americans
  • Led to a significant increase in elected African American officials at local, state, and federal levels
  • Faced numerous challenges and amendments over the years, including the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder