3. ■The right to vote
is the most basic
right of
citizenship in a
democratic
society.
4. ■ The U.S. Constitution did
not specify the voting
process, including who
should have the right to
vote. Instead the
Constitution left the matter
up to the individual
states.
5. ■ Controversy,
discrimination, and
conflict have often
characterized the history
of voting, as the poor,
women, minorities, and
youth have had to fight
to obtain this basic right
of citizenship.
6. Activity
- Each group member will be assigned a specific group of
people.
- Using the timeline provided, discuss the most significant
events for the group of ‘people’ assigned.
- On your graphic organizer include the following information
- Date of event
- 1 Event that limited voting rights
- 1 Event that increased voting rights
- Statement of how each event affected voting in the United
States (in your own words, reflect)
- Each group member will share their information with their
group
7. Reflect & Rank
Reflect on which group had it the hardest in obtaining
voting rights based off your partners’ information.
Come to a consensus after sharing individual opinions.
On a scale of 1 to 4, which group had the hardest time
obtaining voting rights? (1= hardest, 4= least difficult)
8. Closure:
Voting Rights
■ How might the campaign process and elections be
different today, if the original voters; white male,
property owners were the only ones eligible to vote
in the 2016 presidential election?
