https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy en-us 2021-12-07 17:07:40 UTC 2021-12-07 17:14:12 UTC hello@padlet.com 22rosena39 https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934091698 I chose this amendment because looking at it quickly it seems like it is a step in the right direction towards a better democracy. However, discriminatory practices were put in place to prevent and discourage Black citizens from voting. The amendment 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. Many were opposed to this amendment, especially in the South. A democracy is a government by the people, however, this still was not happening as proportional as it should have with the this amendment. Not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 did African Americans truly get the right to vote without anyone deterring them. This amendment still did not include the right to vote for women and that would not be ratified for years to come. ]]> 2021-12-07 17:11:33 UTC https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934091698 22rosena39 https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934093761 The 19th Amendment finally extended the right to vote to women. A step towards a more representative democracy. Women make up half of the population and excluding them from voting solely because of their gender takes away what a democracy is all about: a government ruled by the people. Women still would not be able to serve in government for a few more years. It took a long time for people to finally listen and act on this. The women who fought so long for this even though they could not vote at the time were contributing to democracy by standing up for what they believed was right and fair. ]]> 2021-12-07 17:12:19 UTC https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934093761 22rosena39 https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934094938 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended discrimination in voting mostly among African Americans in hopes to increase their involvement in their right to vote. The more recent court case Shelby County vs. Holder destroyed the protection that allowed the government to block discriminatory election laws. It was an ignorant decision that believed the best in America, which sadly was not true. This Act was put in place to protect the democracy of the people. Democracy is a more representative involvement in government through voting and by not having a racial group that makes up a large portion of our population, our democracy is hurt. It is not only your duty to vote as an American but it is also for you to make sure that you are protecting yourself by using your voice to vote. Although this Act has been violated, its purpose strengthen our democracy.  ]]> 2021-12-07 17:12:52 UTC https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934094938 22rosena39 https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934096516 Before the 26 Amendment was passed in 1971, the voting age was 21. Many were enraged because the draft age had been lowered during WWII to 18. Many of the men and women who were drafted wanted to vote because they were old enough to fight and therefore should have the right to vote. Many were angered and urged the government to lower the voting age so that they could have a say in government earlier. Democracy would be strengthened with the passing of this amendment because the population would be more represented and participatory in government.]]> 2021-12-07 17:13:36 UTC https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934096516 22rosena39 https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934097679 Stacey Abrams has done a large amount of work to fight voter suppression, which has still been happening despite the prior legislation that has been passed. Democracy is engaging everyone in the decision-making of our country and in the past few years it has been hurt. Specifically, in the pandemic, many fought against mail-in ballots because they thought it was cause voter fraud, however, it hurt many voters who could not get out to vote because of the pandemic or other issues. It is important that we continue to work towards ending voter suppression to strengthen our democracy and allow everyone to vote fairly.]]> 2021-12-07 17:14:09 UTC https://padlet.com/22rosena39/democracy/wish/1934097679