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No, I don’t think restricting the ability for people to vote aligns with the values and ideals of American democracy. In this nation we state that everyone is created equal, has equal rights, and equal treatment, no matter what. By taking away certain people’s voting rights, we're eradicating the ideals that America is built on.

For example, one of the most important documents for our country, the Declaration of Independence states, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” This document helped create what the nation is today, and if we denied people the right to vote it would directly oppose this document that founded the nation.

Another piece of evidence that supports my point is the taxation without representation rebellion. The point of the argument is simple, if a government can take your money (taxes) or send you to war, you should have some kind of say or power in who makes those decisions. Americans became independent from Britain because they weren’t being represented, it's a huge part of our country's ideals. So, Allowing everyone who pays taxes or lives in the country to vote is only fair to keep the country balanced and uphold a true American democracy.

Lastly, the fifteenth amendment specifically states, “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” This important document proves that voting is a legal and unalienable right to any citizen of the United States, not just a selective privilege for some. It proves that voting is one of the most important aspects of our country, and if we denied that right our nation wouldn’t be what it is. It’s like taking the peanuts out of peanut butter, it's just not the same without it.

In conclusion I don’t believe that taking away some peoples ability to vote aligns with the ideals of our country or American democracy.

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Yes, I believe that the restriction of votes only to certain people, because the country was founded by one group of people for that group of people.

Firstly, immigrants were allowed to stay and work in the country to help themselves and the country. Although they are helping the country in ways, their beliefs and their values back home are different from the American values and thoughts. This means that the immigrants could out vote the group of people that founded the country and change, which was made for a reason by the founders, into something else entirely.

Secondly, the slaves that were restricted their voting rights, were probably really mad and wanting vengeance for the things that happened to them. They would vote to destroy the plantation, destroy and rip apart anyone who was involved in the slavery process. This would be just, but what if they get the wrong guy? What if they accidentally nail the wrong guy and ruin the innocent person’s life. And what if they don’t stop there? What if they ruin the life of every white person to get back about what happened to them?

Finally, I think the removal of voting rights would be the best only in certain situations. If you prove that you truly want to benefit the country, there should be a way to obtain citizenship through a process. Then you receive the right to vote. The only reason this would be beneficial to the country is to insure that the country won’t be used for personal gain, or that if you are angry with someone you can’t ruin that person’s life due to a disagreement. Even with the slaves, even though they were enslaved and have the right to get back, they might go and enslave the enslavers.

In conclusion, enslaved people, or even just certain people, shouldn’t get the right to vote due to their previous situation and they might get back in a way that would ruin the country, like enslaving major groups of  people to get back on them.

(This isn’t really as great than what I had in mind, I thought it would be best to choose “very American” than “UnAnerican”)

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Restricting access to voting rights is the opposite of being in line with the ideals of American democracy and American values. It is something that goes against everything we have worked for, from the civil war to reconstruction right now, limiting voter access is extremely un-American.

One example of this is stated directly in the constitution. In the fifteenth amendment it says “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–“ By limiting voter access, we are going against the constitution which is something we should be following. It was made to help us, not to be an old piece of paper that is never used in real life.

A second reason of this is about what happened in the civil war. The civil war in a nutshell was about two different sides on what should be done about slavery, and how. If we limited voting access in that scenario, what would be happening during our try to reconstruction now? Half of the people wouldn’t get to vote, and we would have so many more problems than we started out with.

My final reason is that if we want a country where people are safe and we are free, as said in the constitution, then why are we taking that away? So the big white men in control can ruin what is left of democracy? If we want to heal from the civil war, and commit actual change, then limiting voter access is the last thing we want to do.

Voting is something we are gifted, to be able to have a say in what happens in this country-as citizens. To take that away, is like saying that the government and people in charge of our health and safety don’t care what we think. Limiting voting access is the last thing that should be thought about, let alone done.

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Fellow Americans, our nation was founded on the belief that all people are created equal and that the government gains its power from the consent of the governed. Because of this, restricting the right to vote goes against the ideals of American democracy and the values our country claims to stand by. Throughout history, Americans have fought to expand voting rights, not limit them. When laws are created to prevent groups of people from voting, especially formerly enslaved Americans, it contradicts the principles of freedom, equality, and representation.

One important piece of evidence is found in the constitution itself. After the civil war, the United States passed the 15th amendment, which states that citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of their race or previous condition of servitude. This amendment was specifically created to protect formerly enslaved African Americans and ensure they could participate in democracy. If states create restrictive voting laws aimed at preventing black Americans from voting, they violate both the spirit and purpose of the 15th Amendment.

A second example comes from the era of reconstruction and the Jim Crow South. After African Americans gained voting rights, many southern states passed poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to stop them from voting. These laws unfairly target black citizens and keep them from having a voice in government. Historians have shown that these restrictions weakened democracy because elected leaders no longer represented all citizens fairly. Instead of protecting freedom, these laws protected power for only a small group of people.

A third piece of evidence is the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr. fought peacefully for equal rights because they believed voting was essential to liberty and equality. Events such as the marches in Selma, Alabama, revealed how far some states would go to stop African Americans from voting. In response, congress passed the voting rights act of 1965, which banned discriminatory voting practices. This law demonstrated that the federal government recognized voter suppression as harmful to democracy and American values.

Finally, democracy depends on participation. The more citizens who are allowed to vote, the more representative and fairer the government becomes. Restricting voting rights sends the message that some voices matter less than others. That idea goes against American ideals of equality, justice, and government by the people.

Overall, restricting the ability of people to vote, especially formerly enslaved citizens, goes against the ideals of American democracy. The constitution, the lessons of reconstruction, and the civil rights movement all show that America moves closer to its value when voting rights are expanded and protected for everyone. A true democracy is strongest when every citizen has an equal voice.

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(Written By: Luca, Ella, Angelli)

We believe that the restriction of voting rights is in line with American values. This is because we believe that anybody who isn’t American should not have the ability to vote inside of the U.S. People from outside of the United States who have come into the U.S. wouldn’t understand the American perspective and viewpoint of our political system. If they were to vote it would throw things into chaos, potentially messing up the country.

Note: We are writing this through the perspective of a person from that timeline, we do not actually agree with this opinion.

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Today I will explain why laws that limited voter access during the reconstruction went against American values and democracy after the Civil War formally enslaved African-Americans were given citizenship and voting rights to the 14th and the 15th amendment. These amendments were supposed to protect equality and allow African-Americans to participate in government however, many southern states create the laws to stop them from voting. One example is literacy test. African-Americans were forced to take difficult reading test before voting while many white voters didn’t have to take them. This was unfair and prevented many people from experiencing their rights another example was Paul taxes pull taxes require people to pay money before they could vote. Many formally enslaved people were poor after the reconstruction so they could not afford to vote this limited voter access and mainly targeted African-Americans third example was grandfather clauses these laws said people could only vote if their grandfathers had voted before the civil rights since formally enslaved peoples grandfathers were not able to vote. This was blocking many African-Americans to voting groups like the cool clicks plan also used violence and interment to scare African-Americans away from the pools instead of protecting democracy these actions weeded by keeping Citizens from participating in elections American democracy, based on freedom, equality and representation re-creating voter access during the reconstruction, went against these values because it denied many citizens to the rights of having a voice in government inclusion laws that limited voter act is during the reconstruction were not very American because they treated people unfairly and prevented equal participation in democracy

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I believe restricting people's right to vote goes against American democracy and American values. America was founded on the idea that people should have a voice in government. If people are stopped from voting, then democracy is not fair.

One example is the American Revolution. Colonists wanted representation and believed citizens should have a say in government. Another example is the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote after the Civil War. Even after this, some states made unfair laws like literacy tests and poll taxes to stop Black Americans from voting.

Overall, restricting voting rights goes against democracy because everyone should have an equal in choosing their leaders

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I believe restricting people's right to vote goes against American democracy and American values. America was founded on the idea that people should have a voice in government. If people are stopped from voting, then democracy is not fair.

One example is the American Revolution.

Colonists wanted representation and believed citizens should have a say in government. Another example is the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote after the Civil War. Even after this, some states made unfair laws like literacy tests and poll taxes to stop Black Americans from voting.

Overall, restricting voting rights goes against democracy because everyone should have an equal voice in choosing their leaders.

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Look around today, people talking about rebuilding, fixing what’s broken, and what it means to be an American. We just suffered an awful, bloody Civil War, and now we have entered our Reconstruction. I stand here today to tell you that if we want to move forward, we cannot restrict anyone's right to vote. Doing that goes against everything America is supposed to stand for.

Our country's founders wrote down that "all men are created equal." For a long time, America did not live up to those words. But right now, in 1870, we have a massive chance to fix that.

Just this year, the 15th Amendment was added to our Constitution. It says the government cannot stop a citizen from voting just because of the color of their skin, or because they used to be enslave. This means the law finally agrees that African American men deserve the exact same voice in government as our founders.

But look at what is happening in the Southern states, people are already trying to cheat the system. They are passing laws to take away this new freedom. They are forcing these newly freed citizens to pay "poll taxes" just to vote, or making them pass impossible reading tests. If you have to pay a fee or pass a trick test just to have a say in your own government, that isn't a democracy, that's a rigged system.

Violent groups such as the KKK are attacking our people just for trying to vote, or doing regular things in life. How can we call ourselves a free nation if people have to risk their lives just to vote? Using fear to silence people is wrong, and it goes against basic human rights.

We cannot let Washington or the states drag us backward into the past. Reconstruction is our chance to build a better, fairer country. A true democracy only works when everyone gets a turn to speak. Let's make sure every citizen gets to help pick our leaders, because America works best when everybody has a voice! Thank you for bringing your attention to this matter