The Abolalcy Of Voting Rights In The United States

The Voting Rights Act was passed to protect state and local governments to not pass laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on their race. The United States should work to keep voting free and fair for everyone to have the rights to vote. The voting right it is important because it makes sure every citizen, regardless of their race, has an equal opportunity to have a say what they want. Shelby County V. Holder, is a historical United States Supreme court case regarding the authority of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. About Section 5 Voting Rights it requires local governments and certain states to get federal permission before starting any changes to their voting laws or practices. Section 4 includes the

Annie Harper was not allowed to register to vote in Virginia because she wasn’t able to pay the state’s poll tax. Virginia law required voters to pay $1.50 tax to register, with the money collected going to public school funding. Ms. Harper sued the Virginia Board of Elections, claiming the poll tax violated her 14th Amendment right to equal protection. Note: The 24th Amendment to the Constitution already banned poll taxes in federal elections, but not in state elections. The U.S. District Court dismissed Ms. Harper’s suit in favor of the Board of Elections. She then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.

As citizens, all Americans are given certain unalienable rights- the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. America has not always lived up to these standards of equality for all citizens. In fact, some U.S. citizens have and continue to go through quite a lot of trouble to gain equality, specifically in the voting rights department.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.” In the 1880’s poll taxes and literacy requirements that afterward advocated African Americans to vote. Meanwhile Klan violence frightens from police and employers, blacks were still “protesting”about voting rights. As a result, there were over two dozen blacks serving in state congress across some

The constitution laid the groundwork for America's citizens giving essential rights to everyone. That would have been the ideal America; Humans are flawed and there of course has to be some form of disagreement. Throughout America's existence there have been arguments, public unrest, deadly altercations and disagreements when it comes to people's rights. An instance of this can be shown through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign. He dreamed of abolishing the mentality of the south not allowing blacks to vote. Dr. King also wanted to unite people not matter their skin color. Dr. King was another activist who contributed to the Civil Rights Act being passed. Due to Dr. King's acts the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was established to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment (1870) to the Constitution of the United States.

The 1965 Voting Rights Acts were adopted because of the flaws found in the 15th amendment that interfered with the basic right to vote for many minorities. The ability to vote is one of the most powerful tools that the American people have to make a change within America. The power to vote is important because you can decide your own government and by choosing your own government you are voicing your ideas on how you want the country to be operated. The amendment that gives US citizens the ability to vote is the 14th amendment which defines what it means to be a citizen. Whereas, the 15th amendment was put in place to stop the discrimination of voting based on your color, race, or previous conditions of servitude.

In the year 1870 the 15th amendment was passed. The fithteenth amendemt reads “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” (Mcneese, Tim). But even though this was passed blacks still saw a problem voting. America started the Jim

When people’s rights are suppressed, they have to stand together for themselves in order to win those rights back. In the 1960s, African-Americans marched together in a series of peaceful demonstrations in order to demand the right to vote which was a right that had been long suppressed. The Civil Rights Movements led to the Voting Rights Act which was a great achievement for African-Americans on their way to attaining equal rights because this act protected African-Americans’ right to vote from being suppressed by state governments.

Southern politicians stated that they made the move from racism, saying that they now endorsed African American Rights while attacking the Republican regime in the South instead. Many African-Americans living in the South were denied by Southern politicians and courts the right to be heard in courts or serve on juries. One example of this was seen in Alabama when Caucasian Southerners beat an African American woman and was forced to raise money to have her case heard in court. Once doing so, the offenders were released with no impending charges, and the woman was forced by the courts to drop her case or thrown into jail. (Page 182) Many politicians created poll taxes, which disenfranchised the African American voters clearing the Republican vote. One such example is seen in Delaware where political officials stated that they were not bound to the amendments passed during Reconstruction created poll taxes, which eliminated African American voters. (Page 183) Many economic leaders

Initiating a poll tax was a quick and simple fix to prevent poor African American, and also white, men from voting. Prior to voting, each citizen had to pay all back taxes, if they were unable to pay, they were unable to vote. Georgia initiated the poll tax in 1871 and it is believed to have cut the African American votes in half. Due to the success Georgia saw, every other former confederate state had a poll tax by the year 1904. These laws were not meant to gain revenue for the state, if this was the case, every state, not just the southern states, would probably have some form of a poll tax. These were ratified purely for the purpose of disenfranchisement for the African American

The 24 Amendment abolished poll taxes that southern states used to prevent African Americans from voting in federal elections. After this Amendment was ratified, some Southerners did many other things to prevent African Americans from voting.

This is because the lower class and blacks would not be able to vote because they did not have the money or because they were too low on the social class to be allowed their voting rights. One example of how they all should be allowed to vote without the prerequisite of a fee is, "A citizen, a qualified voter, is no more nor no less so because he lives in the city or on the farm” (Harper v Virginia Bd, 668). These citizens have just as much the right to vote in the elections as the upper class rich citizens, so it is only natural that this issue would eventually be taken to court, and Annie Harper was the one to do

Voting is an essential right that has been given to citizens since it allows the society to become as close as it could to an ideal democracy - a nation governed by its people. Some people think that voting is the most important right of all. "The right to vote is the most basic right, without which all others are meaningless,  American president Lyndon Johnson once said. By means of voting, individuals have a direct say in different social and political issues.

The Voting Rights Act 42 U.S.C. §§ 1973 et seq., decision is important regarding the laws governing voting rights and their relationship to minority voters. Its implication and effects however does not end within the legal realms and dimensions but continues through to society, culture, and human rights. The Voting Rights Act initially established in 1965 under Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration protected “racial minorities” from biased voting practices. It was a huge stride in the civil rights movement and a victory over harmful, archaic, and biased voting practices and traditions.

Young adults in current times have grown up with many rights that have not always been considered a right but instead a privilege. Voting is one of these rights that was once only considered a privilege, eligible for a particular gender and ethnicity. For many years this meant that the only group of people allowed to vote were white males. Today, things are different and everyone has the choice to vote after they reach the age of eighteen. The right to vote is a powerful right that we must take advantage of because not every country is lucky enough to have a say in their government. Today, in America we have the opportunity to decide if we would like to vote or not. Many Americans take pride in this right as it is considered a civic duty that has not always been eligible to everyone.