The Right to Vote - A Hard-Won Privilege - Teaching with...

The Right to VoteA Hard-Won Privilege

Why Don’t More People Participate in Choosing the President?

Krista CrosslandPleasant Plains High School

Summer 2008

Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party,

Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.)

Students will first explore the history of the expansion of voting rights, using a variety of sources. Students will present these findings to the class. Drawing on all this material, groups of students will then propose ideas for increasing voter turnout in presidential elections.

Overview/ Materials/Historical Background/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension

Overview Back to Navigation BarObjectives Students will:

analyze historical documents related to the expansion of voting rights

demonstrate an understanding of the major amendments and acts affecting the expansion of voting rights

analyze statistics related to voter turnout in presidential elections

create proposals for increasing voter turnout present proposals evaluate other groups’ proposals

Recommended time frame 3-5 days (block scheduling); 3 days of class time are required, students may receive an additional 2 days of work time if scheduling allows

Teaching with Primary Sources Illinois State University

Grade level 12th GradeCurriculum fit Political Participation Unit – Voting and Voting

BehaviorMaterials Internet Access

PowerPoint and Word Processing Poster Board/Art supplies (optional) Link to NPR editorial on voting:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89237204

Primary Resources From the Library of Congress Link to Census information:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html

Link to articles:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10492-2005Jan14.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/now/politics/votestats.html

Illinois State Learning Standards Back to Navigation BarLanguage Arts:GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations 4.B. Speak effectively using language appropriate

to the situation and audience.o 4.B.5b Use speaking skills to participate in

and lead group discussions; analyze the effectiveness of the spoken interactions based upon the ability of the group to achieve its goals.

GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. 5.B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired

from various sources.o 5.B.5a Evaluate the usefulness of infor-

mation, synthesize information to support a thesis, and present information in a logical manner in oral and written forms.

Social Studies:GOAL 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. 14.C. Understand election processes and

responsibilities of citizens.


http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/votestats.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10492-2005Jan14.html






o 14.C.5 Analyze the consequences of par-ticipation and non-participation in the electoral process (e.g., women’s suffrage, voter registration, effects of media).

14.D. Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

o 14.D.5 Interpret a variety of public policies and issues from the perspectives of different individuals and groups

14.F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions.

o 14.F.5 Interpret how changing geographical, economic, technological and social forces affect United States political ideas and traditions (e.g., freedom, equality and justice, individual rights).

GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. 16.A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and

interpretation.o 16.A.5a Analyze historical and

contemporary developments using methods of historical inquiry (pose questions, collect and analyze data, make and support inferences with evidence, report findings).

Procedures Back to Navigation BarDay One: All students should listen to the NPR editorial “Why

Bother Voting at All?” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89237204

Each student should write a personal response to the editorial and include information about personal voting intentions. (see handout)

After response papers are completed, students should be divided into four groups. Each student receives the initial handout (memo explaining the handout) and the appropriate list of Primary Sources from the Library of Congress. Students may begin planning the first stage of the project.

Day Two:




This is a work day in the Computer Lab. Provide assistance to groups as needed. Another option would be to assign the work to be done outside of class time.

Day Three: Students present findings to the rest of the groups.

After all the groups have presented materials, students need to read two more articles.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10492-2005Jan14.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/now/politics/votestats.htmlDay Four: This is another work day in the computer lab.

Provide individual assistance to groups as needed. Again, another option would be to assign the work to be done outside of class time.

Day Five: Each group presents solutions for increasing voter

turnout. Students are then given the opportunity to discuss and evaluate all options presented.

Evaluation Back to Navigation Bar Each part of the activity has a specific rubric

available for evaluation. Students will also be provided with analysis sheets for working with the Primary Source material from the Library of Congress

Extension Back to Navigation Bar To make this activity more in depth, other

Constitutional Amendments could be explored (17th, 23rd, 24th). Students could also use this information in the context of a lesson involving emerging democracies, and what this means for countries in the beginning stages of setting up democratic elections


http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/votestats.html



Historical Background Back to Navigation Bar

"A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law. "

Alexander Hamilton, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Harold C. Syrett, ed. (New York, Columbia University Press, 1962), Vol III, pp. 544-545.

Voting is considered one of the most important aspects of American democracy. People have been given the right to vote, one small step at a time, and have the power and opportunity to make thousands of choices over the course of their lifetimes. One of the most important elections in the election held every four years for the office of President of the United States.

When the Constitution went into effect in June of 1788, the only people allowed to vote in this country were adult white male property owners, or those people paying taxes. Even some of these men were denied the right to vote because of religious restrictions. Consequently, only a very small percentage of the population was eligible to vote. Through a series of laws and amendments, most Americans over the age of 18 are now eligible to vote. The process took over 200 years, and much of the process was difficult and painful for the people trying to win the right to vote.

Highlights of the process:

First half of the 1800's - state legislatures abolished property and religious restrictions, resulting in universal white adult male suffrage

1870 - Fifteenth Amendment is ratified - the first effort to extend suffrage to African Americans. Most African Americans were still denied the right to vote because of roadblocks created by the states (mostly in the South) including literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses.

1913 - Seventeenth Amendment is ratified - giving the right to elect U.S. Senators directly to the people. Previous to this amendment, senators were chosen by state legislatures.

1920 - Nineteenth Amendment is ratified - extending the right to vote to all qualified women, ending a struggle that began in the mid-1800s.

1961 - Twenty-third Amendment is ratified - giving people living in the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections


1964 - Twenty-fourth Amendment is ratified - making it illegal to charge any kind of fee for the privilege of voting

1965 - Voting Rights Act of 1965 - considered to be one of the most effective set of laws ever passed regarding suffrage (Subsequent Voting Rights Acts were added in 1970, 1975, and 1982)

1971 - Twenty-sixth Amendment is ratified - lowering the minimum age for voting to eighteen

Clearly voting rights are considered very important in this country. Six of our twenty-seven amendments deal directly with the expansion of these rights. We also have a number of landmark voting rights acts on the books.Unfortunately, voter turnout data suggests that large numbers of Americans choose not to participate in this process. According to U.S. Census data, 64% of eligible voters participated in the 2004 presidential election. This is actually the highest turnout since the 1968 presidential election.

Remy, Richard C. United States Government - Democracy in Action. Glencoe McGraw Hill, New York, 2006.

Some Turnout Rate statistics presented by the U.S. Census Bureau

Race/Ethnicity:Non-Hispanic Whites - 67%Blacks - 60%Asians - 44%Hispanics (of any race) - 47%

Gender:Women - 65%Men - 62%

Education:Bachelor's degree or higher - 80%High School diploma - 50%

Age (Registration Rates):65 and older - 79%18-24 - 58%

Age (Turnout Rates):45 and older - 70%18 -24 - 47%

Full report and further details available at:



.

Primary Resources from the Library of CongressBack to Navigation Bar

Fifteenth Amendment – Primary Sources

Negro suffrage and social equality / National Union Executive Committee

Negro suffrage and social equality / National Union Executive Committee

Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, African American Pamphlet Collection

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbaapcbib:@field(NUMBER+@od1(rbaapc+20400))

Address to the Afro-Americans of Ohio

Stewart, Hon William R.OHS Archives/Library Pamphlet Collection

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/aaeo:@field(DOCID+@lit(o810))

"All men free and equal." The XVth amendment proclaimed. Message to Congress

All men free and equal." The XVth amendment proclaimed. Message to Congress. - Proclamation of the President ... New Haven, Conn. J. H. Benham & son, printers [1870].Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+00902000))

Nineteenth Amendment – Primary Sources

Photograph of group of suffragists watching the governor of Nevada sign resolution for ratification in his office.

Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mnwp:@field(DOCID+@lit(mnwp000258))















Woman and the republic: a survey of the woman suffrage movement in the United States and a discussion of the claims and arguments of its foremost advocates / by Helen Kendrick Johnson.

Johnson, Helen Kendrick. Woman and the republic : a survey of the woman suffrage movement in the United States and a discussion of the claims and arguments of its foremost advocates Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/nawbib:@field(NUMBER+@od1(rbnawsa+n8334))

The Woman Suffrage Calendar advertising card

The Woman Suffrage Advertising Card. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection


Voting Rights Act of 1965 – Primary Sources

Signing the Voting Rights Act," August 6, 1965

Copyright, August 16, 1965, U.S. News and World Report (www.usnews.com)

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/aaodyssey:@field(NUMBER+@band(aaohtml+0920))

President Lyndon B. Johnson gives Dr. Martin Luther King one of the pens used in the signing of the Voting Rights Act of

United Press International photograph. No. WAP080606. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3c20214))+@field(COLLID+cph))














1965 of Congress)

Photograph showing a young African American woman casting her ballot

Trikosko, Marion. Negro voting in Cardoza [i.e., Cardozo] High School in [Washington,] D.C. U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(ppmsca+04300))+@field(COLLID+cph))

Twenty-Sixth Amendment – Resources

http://www.nps.gov/archive/malu/documents/amend26.htmhttp://www.usconstitution.net/constamnotes.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/oregonvmitch.html


http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/oregonvmitch.html

http://www.usconstitution.net/constamnotes.html

http://www.nps.gov/archive/malu/documents/amend26.htm




RubricBack to Navigation Bar

Paper Rubric : Repsonse to NPR Editorial

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Focus on Topic (Content)

There is one clear, well-focused topic. Main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information.

Main idea is clear but the supporting information is general.

Main idea is somewhat clear but there is a need for more supporting information.

The main idea is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information.

Support for Topic (Content)

Relevant, telling, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable.

Supporting details and information are relevant, but one key issue or portion of the storyline is unsupported.

Supporting details and information are relevant, but several key issues or portions of the storyline are unsupported.

Supporting details and information are typically unclear or not related to the topic.

Commitment (Voice)

The writer successfully uses several reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic.

The writer successfully uses one or two reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic.

The writer attempts to make the reader care about the topic, but is not really successful.

The writer made no attempt to make the reader care about the topic.

Sequencing (Organization)

Details are placed in a logical order and the way they are presented effectively keeps the interest of the reader.

Details are placed in a logical order, but the way in which they are presented/introduced sometimes makes the writing less interesting.

Some details are not in a logical or expected order, and this distracts the reader.

Many details are not in a logical or expected order. There is little sense that the writing is organized.


PowerPoint : Proposal for Increasing Voter Turnout

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Content (x2) Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way.

Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in an interesting way.

Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on 1-2 cards.

Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought.

Content - Accuracy

All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors.

Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate.

The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate.

Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error.

Effectiveness Project includes all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the topic. It is a highly effective study guide.

Project includes most material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the material but is lacking one or two key elements. It is an adequate study guide.

Project is missing more than two key elements. It would make an incomplete study guide.

Project is lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies that make it a poor study guide.

Cooperation Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively all of the time.

Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively most of the time.

Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively some of the time.

Group often is not effective in delegating tasks and/or sharing responsibility.


Oral Presentation Rubric : Expansion of Voting Rights

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Content (x2) Shows a full understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic.

Does not seem to understand the topic very well.

Preparedness Students are completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed.

Students seem pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals.

Students are somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking.

Students do not seem at all prepared to present.

Visual Aid Students use an outstanding visual aid that show considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better.

Students use a good visual aid that shows work/creativity and which make the presentation better.

Students use a visual aid which makes the presentation better.

Students uses no visual aid OR the visual aid chosen detract from the presentation.

Enthusiasm Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.

Facial expressions and body language sometimes generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.

Facial expressions and body language are used to try to generate enthusiasm, but seem somewhat faked.

Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not generate much interest in topic being presented.

Collaboration with Peers

Everyone supports the efforts of others in the group. Everyone tries to keep people working well together and do their own part

Everyone usually supports the efforts of others in the group. No one causes "waves" in the group.

One person may appear to dominate the presentation or at least one person is not a good team member.

Group essentially seems to be individuals working on single parts of the presentation


well

HandoutsBack to Navigation Bar

Memorandum

To: Junior Consultants, Crossland Consulting Group

From: Krista Crossland, Chief Consultant

Date: 5/8/2023

Re: Exploration of Expansion of Voting Rights and Proposals for Increasing Voter Turnout

We have recently been commissioned to do a study on the possibility of increasing voter turnout for the upcoming presidential election. The people requesting the study would like a proposal for the best possible method of increasing voter turnout, while keeping in mind the historical struggle to constantly expand suffrage within this country. This will be a two part project, requiring considerable focus and commitment from each of the teams.

Part One-

Each team will be given a significant voting rights milestone to examine. These milestones have been chosen because they represent a significant step forward in the expansion of voting rights. You will be given a list of resources, but must also locate two more resources on your own. New resources must be cited accurately. You must compile your information into a brief (5-8 minute) presentation for the other groups. You must include some kind of visual aid – either PowerPoint or a Poster – and you must provide a handout listing the key points of your research.

Part Two –

Read the two articles provided and decide what, if anything needs to be done to improve voter turnout. Create a PowerPoint that explains your action plan, and be ready to present it to the rest of the groups.


CONFIDENTIAL

Be aware that the group creating the most professional and most viable action plan will be on the fast track to promotion to Senior Consultant.


washingtonpost.com

Election Turnout in 2004 Was Highest Since 1968

By Brian Faler

Saturday, January 15, 2005; Page A05

The final numbers are in -- and turnout in the 2004 presidential election, it seems, was a bit more impressive than previously believed.

The Committee for the Study of the American Electorate reported yesterday that more than 122 million people voted in the November election, a number that translates into the highest turnout -- 60.7 percent -- since 1968.

President Bush officially won 62,028,719 votes, which was 50.8 percent of the ballots cast and 11.5 million more than he won in 2000. Sen John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) took 48.3 percent, or 59,028,550 votes. That was about 8 million more than Al Gore won in 2000. Independent Ralph Nader won 440,513 votes, less than 0.4 percent of the total. In 2000, he won more than 2.8 million votes.

Turnout was 6.4 percent higher than in 2000, the largest uptick in voter participation since the 1952 election. The numbers are a bit higher than the research group's initial estimates, which were based on unofficial tallies and released days after the election.

The organization also found that Kerry ran behind his party's statewide candidates -- governors and senators -- who were up for election in 30 of 37 states. Bush fared much better, winning fewer votes than Republican candidates in just 16 of 37 states.

The report noted that although turnout reached new heights, more than 78 million Americans who were eligible to vote stayed home on Election Day. The group estimated that Bush won just 30.8 percent of the total eligible voters.

'527' Backers to Fight On

The campaign goes on for participants in the "527s" of 2004 -- those groups that exploited a campaign finance loophole to pump tens of millions of dollars into the election campaign. Steve Moore, who formerly ran the conservative Club for Growth, is starting a new group called the Free Enterprise Fund that will try to influence policy.

Similarly, three wealthy Democratic donors, hedge fund billionaire George Soros, insurance executive Peter Lewis, and Herb and Marion Sandler, a banking family, are in talks to start a liberal group that will push policy in a Democratic direction. The Democratic donors have indicated they may be willing to spend even more than the $60 million they spent on the 2004 election. A spokesman, David Dreyer, said the liberal donors are pondering "how their policy goals are challenged by organizations funded by large donations from the right. They are continuing to talk about what to do about that."

Michelman Won't Seek DNC Post

Kate Michelman, the former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, has decided not to enter the race to lead the Democratic National Committee and instead will lead, as she put it, an "effort to reassert the party's leadership on women's fundamental rights."

Staff writer Dana Milbank contributed to this report. © 2005 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

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