Process Paper
Our topic is the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age in the United States from 21 to 18. We first decided to research the 2nd Amendment, which gives citizens the right to bear arms, but we then decided that the topic was too broad. We decided to focus on the 26th Amendment because it was a topic that interested us and tied into the theme very well. Another reason that we researched the 26th amendment was because without it, rights would be violated. Eighteen-year-old boys were being drafted and sent to the Vietnam War, but could not vote in Federal elections.
Our secondary sources research helped us gain background information on our topic. We used a source from the National Education Association to learn about how students protested and the amendment was passed. We also used a book to learn about the history of voting rights in the United States, because it gave us a timeline of all the important events relating to the 26th Amendment. We also used a web document to learn about the Oregon vs. Mitchell court case on the 26th Amendment. All of our secondary sources helped us learn about a general area of our topic and gain an understanding of why the amendment was passed.
Most of our primary sources were documents, videos, and audios that are related to the 26th Amendment. Our group also had an autobiography by the NEA vice president, Lily Eskelsen, and how the 26th Amendment affected her. The documents show what was happening leading up to the events of the ratification and what needed to happen to pass the amendment. Some of the video clips show the certification ceremony of the 26th Amendment being signed. We also had an email interview with Les Francis, Project 18 Director, who shared his opinions with us.
Our group decided to create a website because we thought that it would be the easiest way to show our research. Plus, we had a lot of documents, pictures, and videos in our sources, so we wouldn’t have been able to put all of that on an exhibit board. The extended word count for the websites also gave us a chance to show more of our research. This helped in many ways because our topic has so much information that needs to be presented.
The 26th Amendment relates to the theme of “Rights and Responsibilities” because the 26th Amendment gave 18-year-olds the right to vote. Along with that right, comes a huge responsibility for 18-21-year-olds to make their opinions heard and make educated decisions when voting. This amendment also made older adults see younger adults in a different way, being able to trust them in making bigger decisions. Because of these changes, when a person turns eighteen, the transition from a teenager to an adult becomes more important and increases the responsibility of turning 18.
Our secondary sources research helped us gain background information on our topic. We used a source from the National Education Association to learn about how students protested and the amendment was passed. We also used a book to learn about the history of voting rights in the United States, because it gave us a timeline of all the important events relating to the 26th Amendment. We also used a web document to learn about the Oregon vs. Mitchell court case on the 26th Amendment. All of our secondary sources helped us learn about a general area of our topic and gain an understanding of why the amendment was passed.
Most of our primary sources were documents, videos, and audios that are related to the 26th Amendment. Our group also had an autobiography by the NEA vice president, Lily Eskelsen, and how the 26th Amendment affected her. The documents show what was happening leading up to the events of the ratification and what needed to happen to pass the amendment. Some of the video clips show the certification ceremony of the 26th Amendment being signed. We also had an email interview with Les Francis, Project 18 Director, who shared his opinions with us.
Our group decided to create a website because we thought that it would be the easiest way to show our research. Plus, we had a lot of documents, pictures, and videos in our sources, so we wouldn’t have been able to put all of that on an exhibit board. The extended word count for the websites also gave us a chance to show more of our research. This helped in many ways because our topic has so much information that needs to be presented.
The 26th Amendment relates to the theme of “Rights and Responsibilities” because the 26th Amendment gave 18-year-olds the right to vote. Along with that right, comes a huge responsibility for 18-21-year-olds to make their opinions heard and make educated decisions when voting. This amendment also made older adults see younger adults in a different way, being able to trust them in making bigger decisions. Because of these changes, when a person turns eighteen, the transition from a teenager to an adult becomes more important and increases the responsibility of turning 18.