The Importance of Voting

Voting has been a core part of our government since the very beginning, however, many citizens chose not to take part in this essential participation. To prevent any one person from gaining too much power voting was put in place as well as checks and balances in the system by the founding fathers. While not everything is decided by voting because our government is a Constitutional Republic, voting is by far the most important way a citizen can participate in the government. Therefore, it’s baffling that people chose not to vote. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” While we can all agree that voting is important there is a debate on whether it should be mandatory. Voting should be an optional but important way to participate in the government.

Just one hundred years ago, women in the United States were not allowed to vote. The 19th amendment was not ratified until June 4, 1919. The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. Women activists had been fighting decades to have such a right. There were many factors that made the 19th amendment possible such as women’s rights organizations, advocates, conventions, and marches. The women’s right movement paved the way to accomplishing the ratification of a female’s right to vote.

- Congress passed a 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction there of, are citizens of the United States and of the states in which they reside," thus repudiating the Dred Scott ruling which had denied slaves their right of citizenship. The 15th amendment provided that, “The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be be denied or abridged by the United States or any states on the account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.”

The 19th Amendment is about women's rights. Women gained the right to vote when this amendment was ratified. This amendment was passed to show that women were slowly gaining the same rights as men.

Having the right to vote is a part of being an American just like making a mistake is a part of being human. President Obama said it best “...while the people in our prisons have made some mistakes - and sometimes big mistakes - they are

The Constitution States, “The rights of all 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”(United States Constitution). The 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920 after many years of women protesting and demanding equality from the government . From the views of many people who believe that the American Revolution was radical all men were treated equally. Conversely, this aspect was taken very literally in the that women were excluded from voting and making

One of the changes made to the Constitution was that slaves, women, and more citizens have the right of suffrage. In document #2, it states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged...on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude...on account of sex.” It also states, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged.” Both of these were added to the Constitution because although throughout history, citizens were angry that some of them didn’t have the right to vote. After the 13th amendment, blacks viewed themselves as citizens and they expected to have the right of suffrage. Women didn’t view themselves below men in the social class so they fought for the right to vote by protesting and creating female activist groups. To be able to fix this problem, the Constitution was

With all adversities that was overcome the right to vote remains one of the few things that makes us all equal. No matter your color, wealth, gender, and religion. We all get one vote; which is one of the many beauties of our democracy. With this right comes a great deal of responsibilities that many citizens

The Fifteenth Amendment, The Right to Vote Not Denied by Race, is a very significant amendment added to our Constitution to encourage equality in our democracy. Voting in America is a big deal because we the people get to elect representatives who represent us on Capitol Hill and in our state’s legislatures. These people determine big issues in our country, and attempt to find a solution. However, not everyone was allowed the right to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment was passed in Congress on February 26, 1869.

The 15th Amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring 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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Although ratified on February 3, 1870, the promise of the 15th Amendment would not be fully realized for almost a century.

The 15th amendment was passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870. This amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Although they were granted this right, many people were unhappy with this, so the Poll tax was created, requiring citizens to pay a fee to register to vote. These fees kept many poor African Americans from voting. The 19th amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. This amendment gave women the right to vote. Both amendments granted women and African American men rights that they never once had previously had. The ability to vote and participate in country decision making was a huge step forward for both groups of people regarding their equality. Women also began to fight for other things. For example, Margaret Sanger was an American birth control activist, and wanted to give women the right to take birth control if they chose to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Both woman and African Americans would continue fighting for their rights during other eras, such as the Roaring

“Your vote is your voice as an American citizen. It's your opportunity to be heard, to hold elected officials accountable for their elections and to have a say in important issues that affect your community. On Election Day, every vote matters”. Anonymous

The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 by the United States Constitution that allowed women the right to vote. On November 2, 1920 more than 8 million women across the United States voted in elections for the first time. It took

91. 26th: The provision to the 26th Amendment gave the right to vote to citizens over 18 years of age. March 1971

“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. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” (“19th Amendment”). The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. Prior to this amendment, women had no say.