Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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Section 1 The Right to Vote
· The history of the expansion of the right
to vote in the United States can be divided into five distinct steps.
· The Constitution places five restrictions on the
States’ power to set voting qualifications.
Objectives
1. Summarize the history of voting rights in the United
States.
2. Identify and explain constitutional
restrictions on the States’ power to set voting qualifications.
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1.
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The authors divide the
evolution of voting rights in the U.S. into _____ steps.
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Why It Matters
Democratic government can succeed only if its citizens are willing to vote.
The history of the United States has been marked by a steady expansion of the electorate through the
elimination of restrictions on voting qualifications.
Political
Dictionary
suffrage - The right to vote.
franchise - The right to
vote
electorate - All of the people entitled to vote in a given
election
The History of Voting Rights
The Framers of the Constitution purposely left the power
to set suffrage qualifications to each State. Suffrage means the right to vote. Franchise is another term with the
same meaning
Expansion of the Electorate
When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the right
to vote in the United States was restricted to white male property owners. In fact, probably not one
in fifteen adult white males could vote in elections in the different States. Benjamin Franklin often
lampooned this situation. He told of a man whose only property was a jackass and noted that the man
would lose the right to vote if his jackass died. “Now,” asked Franklin, “in whom
is the right of suffrage? In the man or the jackass?”
Today, the size of the American electorate—the potential
voting population—is truly impressive. Some 220 million people, nearly all citizens who are at
least 18 years of age, can now qualify to vote. That huge number is a direct result of the legal
definition of suffrage. In other words, it is the result of those laws that determine who can and
cannot vote. It is also the result of some 200 years of continuing, often bitter, and sometimes
violent struggle.
The history of American suffrage since 1789 has been marked by two long-term
trends. First, the nation has experienced the gradual elimination of several restrictions on the
right to vote. These restrictions were based on such factors as religious belief, property ownership,
tax payment, race, and sex. Second, a significant share of what was originally the States’
power over the right to vote has gradually been assumed by the Federal
Government.
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2.
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In the beginning of the United
States only ________________ could vote.
a. | citizen men who owned
property | c. | women and men who
owned property | b. | women and men who owned property | d. | citizen men and women |
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3.
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Today almost all _____ who are
_____ years of age are eligible to vote.
a. | men –
18 | c. | citizens –
18 | b. | citizens –
21 | d. | men and women –
18 |
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Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages
The growth of the American electorate to its present size
and shape has come in five fairly distinct stages. The two trends described above—elimination
of voting restrictions and growing federal control over voting—are woven through those stages.
You will see several illustrations of both of these trends over the course of this chapter.
1.
The first stage of the struggle to extend voting rights came in the early 1800s. Religious
qualifications, instituted in colonial days, quickly disappeared. No State has had a religious test
for voting since 1810. Then, one by one, States began to eliminate property ownership and tax payment
qualifications. By mid-century, almost all white adult males could vote in every State.
2. The
second major effort to broaden the electorate followed the Civil War. The 15th Amendment, ratified in
1870, said that no one could be denied the right to vote on the basis of race.
3. The 19th
Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of sex. Its ratification in 1920
completed the third expansion of suffrage. Wyoming, while still a territory, had given women the vote
in 1869. By 1920 more than half of the States had followed that lead.
4. A fourth major extension took place during the 1960s.
During that time, federal legislation and court decisions focused on securing African Americans a
full role in the electoral process in all States. With the passage and vigorous enforcement of a
number of civil rights acts, especially the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its later extensions,
racial equality finally became fact in polling booths throughout the country.
The 23rd Amendment, passed in 1961, added the voters of
the District of Columbia to the presidential electorate. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964,
eliminated the poll tax (as well as any other tax) as a condition for voting in any federal election.
5. The fifth and latest expansion of the electorate came with the adoption of the 26th Amendment
in 1971. It provides that no State can set the minimum age for voting at more than 18 years of age.
In other words, those 18 and over were given the right to vote by this
amendment.
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4.
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The second stage of the evolution of voting rights
extended voting rights to
a. | black
men | c. | white and black men and
women | b. | black men and women | d. | protestant men |
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5.
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The third stage of the evolution of voiting rights
extended suffrage to
a. | former
slaves | c. | white
women | b. | all women | d. | non citizen
women |
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6.
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The fifth stage in the evolution of voting rights
involved the passage of the 26th Amendment that extended suffrage to
a. | all persons over 21 years of
age | c. | all illegal
aliens | b. | all persons 18 years of age | d. | all veterans of the armed forces |
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The Power to Set Voting Qualifications
The Constitution does not give the Federal Government the
power to set suffrage qualifications. Rather, that matter is reserved to the States. The Constitution
does, however, place five restrictions on how the States use that power.
1. Any person whom a
State allows to vote for members of the “most numerous branch” of its own legislature
must also be allowed to vote for representatives and senators in Congress.2 This restriction is of
little real meaning today. With only minor exceptions, each of the States allows the same voters to
vote in all elections within the State.
2. No State can deprive any person of the right to vote
“on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (15th Amendment).3
3. No State can deprive
any person of the right to vote on account of sex (19th Amendment).4
4. No State can require
payment of any tax as a condition for taking part in the nomination or election of any federal
officeholder. That is, no State can levy any tax in connection with the selection of the President,
the Vice President, or members of Congress (24th Amendment).
5. No State can deprive any person
who is at least 18 years of age of the right to vote because of age (26th Amendment).5
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7.
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According to the Constitution
who has the power to set voter qualifications?
a. | the
states | c. | the
Congress | b. | the U.S. government | d. | the President |
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Beyond these five restrictions,
remember that no State can violate any other provision in the Constitution in the setting of suffrage
qualifications—or in anything else that it does. A case decided by the Supreme Court in 1975,
Hill v. Stone,
illustrates this point.
The Court struck down a section of the Texas constitution that declared
that only those persons who owned taxable property could vote in city bond elections. The Court found
the drawing of such a distinction for voting purposes—between those who do and those who do not
own taxable property—to be an unreasonable classification, prohibited by the 14th
Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
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8.
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What did the Hill v Stone case
say?
a. | You cannot vote on property tax
issues unless you own property | c. | Only tax paying citizens can buy bonds | b. | You can vote on tax issues and laws only if you pay
taxes | d. | You cannot be barred from voting on any issue just because
you do not pay taxes or own property |
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Multiple Response
Identify one
or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.
|
|
|
Section 1 The Right to Vote
· The history of the expansion of the right
to vote in the United States can be divided into five distinct steps.
· The Constitution places five restrictions on the
States’ power to set voting qualifications.
Objectives
1. Summarize the history of voting rights in the United
States.
2. Identify and explain constitutional
restrictions on the States’ power to set voting qualifications.
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|
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9.
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What are the two objectives of
this section? (pick 2)
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Why It Matters
Democratic government can succeed only if its citizens are willing to vote.
The history of the United States has been marked by a steady expansion of the electorate through the
elimination of restrictions on voting qualifications.
Political
Dictionary
suffrage - The right to vote.
franchise - The right to
vote
electorate - All of the people entitled to vote in a given
election
The History of Voting Rights
The Framers of the Constitution purposely left the power
to set suffrage qualifications to each State. Suffrage means the right to vote. Franchise is another term with the
same meaning
Expansion of the Electorate
When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the right
to vote in the United States was restricted to white male property owners. In fact, probably not one
in fifteen adult white males could vote in elections in the different States. Benjamin Franklin often
lampooned this situation. He told of a man whose only property was a jackass and noted that the man
would lose the right to vote if his jackass died. “Now,” asked Franklin, “in whom
is the right of suffrage? In the man or the jackass?”
Today, the size of the American electorate—the potential
voting population—is truly impressive. Some 220 million people, nearly all citizens who are at
least 18 years of age, can now qualify to vote. That huge number is a direct result of the legal
definition of suffrage. In other words, it is the result of those laws that determine who can and
cannot vote. It is also the result of some 200 years of continuing, often bitter, and sometimes
violent struggle.
The history of American suffrage since 1789 has been marked by two long-term
trends. First, the nation has experienced the gradual elimination of several restrictions on the
right to vote. These restrictions were based on such factors as religious belief, property ownership,
tax payment, race, and sex. Second, a significant share of what was originally the States’
power over the right to vote has gradually been assumed by the Federal
Government.
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10.
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Which two long term trends have
marked the evolution of voting rights in the United States? (pick 2)
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|
|
Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages
The growth of the American electorate to its present size
and shape has come in five fairly distinct stages. The two trends described above—elimination
of voting restrictions and growing federal control over voting—are woven through those stages.
You will see several illustrations of both of these trends over the course of this chapter.
1.
The first stage of the struggle to extend voting rights came in the early 1800s. Religious
qualifications, instituted in colonial days, quickly disappeared. No State has had a religious test
for voting since 1810. Then, one by one, States began to eliminate property ownership and tax payment
qualifications. By mid-century, almost all white adult males could vote in every State.
2. The
second major effort to broaden the electorate followed the Civil War. The 15th Amendment, ratified in
1870, said that no one could be denied the right to vote on the basis of race.
3. The 19th
Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of sex. Its ratification in 1920
completed the third expansion of suffrage. Wyoming, while still a territory, had given women the vote
in 1869. By 1920 more than half of the States had followed that lead.
4. A fourth major extension took place during the 1960s.
During that time, federal legislation and court decisions focused on securing African Americans a
full role in the electoral process in all States. With the passage and vigorous enforcement of a
number of civil rights acts, especially the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its later extensions,
racial equality finally became fact in polling booths throughout the country.
The 23rd Amendment, passed in 1961, added the voters of
the District of Columbia to the presidential electorate. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964,
eliminated the poll tax (as well as any other tax) as a condition for voting in any federal election.
5. The fifth and latest expansion of the electorate came with the adoption of the 26th Amendment
in 1971. It provides that no State can set the minimum age for voting at more than 18 years of age.
In other words, those 18 and over were given the right to vote by this
amendment.
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|
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11.
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Which two voting restrictions
were eliminated in the first
stage of the evolution of voting rights? (pick 2)
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12.
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The fourth stage in the evolution of voting rights
involved _________. (pick 2)
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Matching
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(one term is used
twice) a. | The right to
vote | d. | 15th
Amendment | b. | 24th Amendment | e. | 19th Amendment | c. | All of the people entitled to vote in a given
election | f. | 26th
Amendment |
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13.
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give 18 year olds the right to
vote
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14.
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electorate
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15.
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gender cannot be used to bar
someone from votind
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16.
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suffrage
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17.
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franchise
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18.
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elimination of the poll
tax
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19.
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race cannot be used to bar
someone from voting
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