History of voting rights in america History Essay Paper

History of Voting Rights in America
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History of Voting Rights in America
Canty-Jones, E., E. (2020, March 3). The power of the vote: A brief history of voting rights in America. The Oregon Historical Society. https://ohs.org/blog/the-power-of-the-vote-a-brief-history-of-voting-rights-in-america.cfm
According to Eliza Canty-Jones, the United States (U.S.) was founded on the idea of self-rule by the people (Canty-Jones, 2020). The enabling tool in self-rule is voting. However, over the years, voting has not been accessible to all members of American society. As Canty-jones notes in her article, there have been fierce contests in the country in regards to who can be allowed to vote. These debates have influenced the lives of Native Americans in terms of rights, freedoms, and their general appearance to the world (Canty-Jones, 2020). The author notes that the current year marks a significant step in the history of American voting rights. 150 years ago, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified. Also, 100 years ago the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. Notable government institutions and associations are marking these two anniversaries in different parts of the country. The Oregon Historical Society is celebrating the anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment with an exhibit (Canty-Jones, 2020).
In 1912, women of the state of Oregon gained the right to vote in local and national elections (Canty-Jones, 2020). The Suffrage Amendment in Oregon was a replication of Section 2 of Article II of the constitution. However, basic emissions and additions were made to the section. Under the Fifteenth Amendment, the racial restriction had already been removed in this section of the constitution. A combination of these changes to the constitution enabled both white and black women to vote in Oregon. Later on, in 1915, Kathryn Clarke and Marian Towne became the first women to serve under the legislature in Oregon (Canty-Jones, 2020). Although the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., revisions were made that restricted Asian immigrants from acquiring citizenship based on this law. Providing U.S. citizenship meant granting legal voting rights to immigrants. Hence, lawmakers codified revisions, which remained in place until 1924 (Canty-Jones, 2020).
After the Indian Citizenship Act was passed, tribal groups in Oregon became sovereign and free to govern themselves (Canty-Jones, 2020). Tribal leaders were, therefore able to make decisions about how their fellow tribe’s men and women would participate in the creation and implementation of laws. However, during the same year, the Indian Citizenship Act was enacted, voters in Oregon passed added voting restrictions through the English literacy requirement. The result of these new restrictions was widespread xenophobia in Oregon and other parts of the country (Canty-Jones, 2020). The English literacy requirement was one of the methods used between the 1920s and the 1950s to suppress voter registration and participation. However, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which eliminated voter suppression. Consequently, in the 1970s and the 1980s, the powers of the VRA were expanded by Congress. However, in 2013, the Supreme Court intervened and limited these powers (Canty-Jones, 2020).
DuBois, E. C., Gidlow, L., Jones, M. S., Marino, K. M., Rupp, L. J., Tetrault, L., & Wu, J. T. C. (2019). Interchange: Women's Suffrage, the Nineteenth Amendment, and the Right to Vote. Journal of American History, 106(3), 662-694. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaz506
In their paper, DuBois et al. (2019) also find that immediately after drafting and approving the Nineteenth Amendment, state legislatures in the former confederacy began to deliberate on women’s suffrage. The ratification process continued for more than 12 months. This was a clear illustration of the fear, uncertainty, and rage that prevailed in the U.S. during this period. However, DuBois et al. (2019) cover a different angle of the history of voting rights in the U.S. by examining the economic challenges that contributed to voter suppression. According to DuBois et al. (2019), after world war I, many angry white supremacists terrorized dozens of African Americans by lynching them and burning their churches and homes. The deportation of thousands of immigrant workers was also attempted during this period. A veto on the Volstead Act, presented to Congress by President Woodrow Wilson was overruled by an overwhelming majority. Amid this political and social commotion, the Nineteenth Amendment was still undergoing ratification (DuBois et al., 2019).
The authors are of the view that after 1920, there appeared to be an end to organized efforts by women in the country (DuBois et al., 2019). The women’s movement seemed to have relaxed in its goal of attaining full citizenship for its members. The movement’s activities only re-emerged in the 1960s. However, the authors also find that the reason why women’s movement was not active after 1920 was because women had won their suffrage rights. Women were allowed to vote but they still had other gender inequality issues to address. Since African Americans had been denied the right to vote, the fight for black voting rights became more pronounced than the women’s movement. However, in 1960, the fight for black voting rights garnered national and worldwide attention. During this same time, the authors note that the struggle for women’s suffrage rights re-emerged. As African Americans sought access to the ballot, women wanted to be more involved in the political, economic, and social structures of the civil society (DuBois et al., 2019).
Tokaji, D., P. (2019, January 7). The right to vote in an age of discontent. American Bar Association. /groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/we-the-people/right-to-vote-in-age-of-discontent/
Based on the background information that Tokaji provides in his article, the U.S. constitution does not confer the right to vote to all its citizens (Tokaji, 2019). The author further notes that the origi...