Timeline by Kaylee Dang

13th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-18 16:39:34 UTC

The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31. 1865. It was later ratified on December 6, 1865 and it abolished slavery in the United States. This increased voting rights because it gives African Americans more freedom.

The US Constitution

2024-01-22 16:03:50 UTC

The US Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, granting more power to the national government and containing 27 amendments in total. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. This increased voting rights by giving people equal rights.

14th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-22 16:11:13 UTC

It was passed on by the Senate on June 8, 1866 and ratified 2 years later. On July 9, 1868, it was ratified and American born citizens including formerly enslaved people, now had citizenship and equal protection under the laws. This increased voting rights because a voting requirement is to be a US citizen for more than a month.

15th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-22 16:20:21 UTC

The 15th Amendment was passed by Congress on February 26, 1869 and ratified on the 3rd of February in 1870. This granted African American men the right to vote. Despite black men now having the right to vote, steps were taken to ensure "white supremacy" in the early 1890's. For example, the Grandfather Clause was created to prevent the African American men from voting. The clause stated that they needed ancestors who had previously voted during the 1860's in order for them to have the ability to vote. I think this this decreased voting rights because in the end new laws and clauses were made to prevent certain groups of people from voting.

17th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-22 16:26:23 UTC

Ratified on April 8th of 1913, it modified the Constitution in Article 1, Section 3. The 17th Amendment allowed voters to directly cast their votes for U.S Senators. Before this Amendment made changes to the Constitution, it originally stated for Senators to be elected by state legislatures. This increased voting rights because it gave access to citizens to vote for their Senator.

19th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 15:57:37 UTC

Passed by Congress in June 4, 1919, it was later ratified on August 18, 1920 which granted women the right to vote. After decades of protesting and struggle, women were finally able to vote. They started to being protesting for their voting rights in the mid-19th century which caused several generations of woman suffrage supporters marched, wrote, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve a radical change of the Constitution.

23rd Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 16:05:05 UTC

The 23rd Amendment gave electors to the District of Columbia so that they could vote and participate in presidential elections. It was ratified on March 29, 1961 due to many political groups calling for D.C. to have the ability to vote in presidential elections after the Great Depression and Second World War. This increased voting rights because it allowed more people in D.C. to vote.

24th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 16:11:59 UTC

Poll tax was created as one of the discriminatory methods used against African American men to prevent them from voting. It required voters to pay a fee in order to enter their polling places. The 24th Amendment was created to abolish and forbid the federal and state governments from getting taxes on voters during federal elections. It was later ratified on January 23rd, 1964. This increased voting rights because one method used to prevent a specific group of people from voting was now not allowed due to this Amendment.

26th Amendment

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 16:18:33 UTC

The idea to lower the age restrictions on voting was brought up before World War 2 when President Roosevelt chose to change the draft age of young men from 21-18. Many people believed this was unfair, as they had the right to vote if they were fighting and dying for their country. It was ratified on July 1, 1971 and lowered the voting age restrictions from 21 to 18. I think this increased voting rights because it allowed younger people to vote.

Black Codes

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 16:25:08 UTC

Enacted in 1865 and 1866, it enforced racial segregation and limited the powers of black voters. They were laws passed at different periods in the Southern United States and were designed to replace the social controls of slavery that were removed by the 13th Amendment in the Constitution. This decreased voting rights because it restricted the freedom of African Americans.

National American Woman Suffrage Association

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 16:32:58 UTC

Formed on February 18, 1890 was a national organization that advocated in favor for woman's suffrage in the United States. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed NAWSA in 1868 and their main goal was to achieve voting rights for women as an Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. This increased voting rights because it gave women the right to vote.

Jim Crow Laws

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 18:24:07 UTC

Jim Crow Laws were upheld in 1896 and were any state or local laws that enforced or legalized racial segregation. During the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, the supreme court laid out its "separate but equal" legal doctrine concerning facilities for African Americans. This decreased voting rights because it segregated African Americans from white people and removed most of their rights in pubic areas.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 18:30:13 UTC

President Lyndon Johnson signed an act into law on August 6, 1965 that outlawed any discriminatory voting practices adopted in many Southern states after the Civil War like literacy tests. It's a landmark federal law that removes race-based restrictions on voting, known to be the country's most important voting law. This increased voting rights because it abolished all race related restrictions to voting.

Indian Citizenship Act

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 18:35:04 UTC

Congress decided to enact the Indian Citizenship Act on June 2, 1924 that established all Native Americans were automatically citizens by birth. It granted U.S. citizenship to all indigenous people of the United States which would be the last main group to gain this right set forth in the 14th Amendment.

Freedom Summer

26dangkl — 2024-01-23 18:42:35 UTC

Freedom Summer which is also known as the Freedom Summer Project or the Mississippi Summer Project, started on June 15, 1964. It was a volunteer campaign that was launched in order to attempt to register as many African-American voters as possible in Mississippi. Multiple protests, meetings, freedom schools and housings were used to get a collective rise of awareness to voting rights and disenfranchisement experienced by African Americans in Mississippi. This increased voting rights because it educated people on the voting issues and the need for change.

Seneca Falls Convention

26dangkl — 2024-01-24 02:28:33 UTC

The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention in the United States. It was held in July 19-20 of 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. It advertised itself as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman". I think this decreased voting rights because the outcome of the event didn't have much of an impact on women's voting rights.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

26dangkl — 2024-01-24 02:36:30 UTC

This act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964 that prohibited discrimination in public areas. It's a landmark civil rights and labor law in the U.S. that outlaws discrimination based off race, sex, religion, and national origin. this increased voting rights because it allowed more people to have equal rights which led up to them being able to achieve voting rights.

Selma March

26dangkl — 2024-01-24 02:41:15 UTC

On March 7, 1965, many people gathered in Selma, Alabama to march to the Capital city of Montgomery to ensure that African Americans could exercise the constitutional right to vote. The marches were 3 protest marches to go against the blocking towards African Americans from voting by the systematic racist structure of Jim Crow South.