"I believe the time has come to lower the voting age in the United States..." ~Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Background (Timeline)
1787
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1964 1965 1971
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"U.S. Constitution adopted. Because there is no agreement on a national standard for
voting rights, states are given the power to regulate their own voting laws. In most cases, voting remains in the hands of white male landowners." "The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and guarantees
U.S. citizenship to Mexicans living in the territories conquered by the U.S. However, English language requirements and violent intimidation limit access to voting rights." "North Carolina is the last state to remove property ownership as a requirement to
vote." "15th Amendment passed. It states that the right to vote cannot be denied by the
federal or state governments based on race. However, soon after, some states begin to enact measures such as voting taxes and literacy tests that restrict the actual ability of African Americans to register to vote. Violence and other intimidation tactics are also used." "The Supreme Court rules that Native Americans are not citizens as defined by the 14th
Amendment and, thus, cannot vote." "19th Amendment passed, giving women right to vote in both state and federal
elections." "Miguel Trujillo, a Native American and former Marine, sues New Mexico for not allowing
him to vote. He wins and New Mexico and Arizona are required to give the vote to all Native Americans." "McCarran-Walter Act grants all people of Asian ancestry the right to become citizens."
"Large-scale efforts in the South to register African Americans to vote are intensified. However,
state officials refuse to allow African Americans to register by using voting taxes, literacy tests and violent intimidation. Among the efforts launched is Freedom Summer, where close to a thousand civil rights workers of all races and backgrounds converge on the South to support voting rights." "24th Amendment passed. It guarantees that the right to vote in federal elections will not be
denied for failure to pay any tax." "Voting Rights Act passed. It forbids states from imposing discriminatory restrictions on who
can vote, and provides mechanisms for the federal government to enforce its provisions. The legislation is passed largely under pressure from protests and marches earlier that year challenging Alabama officials who injured and killed people during African American voter registration efforts." "26th Amendment passed, granting voting rights to 18-year-olds. The amendment is largely
a result of Vietnam War-protests demanding a lowering of the voting age on the premise that people who are old enough to fight are old enough to vote. " (Quoted from "U.S. Voting") |