This activity is part of Module 13: Voting Rights in America from the Constitution 101 Curriculum.
In this activity, you will read a primary source about voting rights and then analyze two landmark Supreme Court decisions addressing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
You will work with a group to review:
And ONE of the following:
Read excerpts from your assigned source from the Founders’ Library and complete the questions below as if your role is to brief the case like a constitutional lawyer.
Platform Adopted by National Negro Committee
- Who authored the primary source, and when?
- What is the call to action?
- Did the American people, their elected officials, and/or the Supreme Court address these concerns over time? If so, when?
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903)
- Who authored the primary source, and when?
- What is the call to action?
- Did the American people, their elected officials, and/or the Supreme Court address these concerns over time? If so, when?
My Case:
- Facts: Who are all the people (parties) associated with the case? What was the dispute between them?
- Issue: What is the issue in the case? What constitutional provision is at issue? What is the constitutional question that needs to be answered?
- Ruling: How does the Court rule? What was the outcome in the case? Who won and who lost? How did the justices vote? What sort of rule does the Court come up with to resolve the issue?
- Who was the author of the majority opinion?
- Were there any concurring or dissenting opinions? Who authored them? What did they say? How would the justices who authored them have ruled in the case?
- How does the Court’s decision address voting rights?
- Were the calls to action from the NAACP committee and W.E.B. Du Bois met?
