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The original Constitution did not specifically protect the right to vote—leaving the issue largely to the states. For much of American history, this right has often been granted to some, but denied to others; however, through a series of amendments to the Constitution, the right to vote has expanded over time. These amendments have protected the voting rights of new groups, including by banning discrimination at the ballot box based on race (15th Amendment) and sex (19th Amendment). They also granted Congress new power to enforce these constitutional guarantees, which Congress has used to pass landmark statutes like the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While state governments continue to play a central role in elections today, these new amendments carved out a new—and important—role for the national government in this important area.
Purpose
In this activity, you will reflect on the importance of the right to vote and the value of informed voters.
Process
Review the following quote from Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, abolitionist, suffragist, poet, and writer:
“I do not think the mere extension of the ballot a panacea for all the ills of our national life. What we need to-day is not simply more voters, but better voters.”
Women’s Political Future, 1893 by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
View Visual Info Brief: Frances Harper Quote
After reviewing the quote, discuss with a partner the following questions:
Launch
Present the Visual Info Brief: Frances Harper Quote on the board for the class to view. Define “panacea” for all students.
Share with the students additional information about Harper with the Info Brief: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Note the year of the quote. What can they say about the year in relation to voting rights in America? Understanding the social context of the time will help students explore the meaning of the quote in greater detail. Examine the importance of the year, as well as her gender and race, in understanding Harper’s quote.
Activity Synthesis
Have students share their reactions to the quote with a partner and then discuss it as a class.
Activity Extension (optional)
Invite students to review the transcript of the longer entry of Women’s Political Future and compare it with another famous speech from earlier in Harper’s life, We are All Bound Up Together.
Purpose
In this activity, you will learn about the amendments, laws, and Supreme Court cases that have shaped voting rights in America.
Process
Watch the following video about voting rights in America.
Then, complete the Video Reflection: Voting Rights in America worksheet.
Launch
Give students time to watch the video and answer the questions on the worksheet.
Activity Synthesis
Have students identify the patterns they see in the history of the right to vote in America. Ask them to reflect on the role of voting in the American constitutional system, and why it is important for citizens to have the right to vote.
Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the history of voting rights in America, ask students to conduct additional research about voting rights and election practices during one of the time periods identified in the worksheet.
Purpose
In this activity, you will examine how the constitutional amendments have shaped elections and voting throughout American history. You will also explore the role of federalism in the context of elections and voting in America.
Process
First, begin by reading the Info Brief: Elections and Voting in the Constitution. Then in your group, read the Interactive Constitution essay assigned to your group and take notes.
Constitutional amendments addressing election and voting rights:
Complete the Activity Guide: Exploring Elections and Voting in the Constitution worksheet.
Finally, share with your class what you learned about your assigned amendment and how it shaped elections and voting in elections. Then, explore the following questions:
Launch
Begin by asking students: Where in the Constitution do you see language that relates to elections and voting?
Have the students read Info Brief: Elections and Voting in the Constitution.
Assign students one or more of the following sections of the Interactive Constitution to read:
While analyzing their assigned amendment(s), have the students complete the Activity Guide: Elections and Voting in the Constitution.
Then, have students meet in small groups to share and compare what they learned and build upon each other’s findings.
Activity Synthesis
Have students identify:
Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of voting at the national level, ask the following questions:
Purpose
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.
Process
Read the Info Brief: The Supreme Court and the Vote.
The teacher will then divide your class into groups. With your group, read W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903), and the NAACP, Platform Adopted by National Negro Committee (1909). Then, complete the relevant part of the Case Brief: The Supreme Court and the Vote worksheet, reflecting on the following questions:
Now, your teacher will assign your group one of the following Supreme Court cases. Please read the background information and case excerpt for your assigned case and reflect on how the Court interpreted Congress’s power to enforce the right to vote in each case.
After you read the content of your assigned case, summarize the key arguments offered by the justices, complete the relevant part of the Case Brief: The Supreme Court and the Vote worksheet, reflecting on the following questions:
Launch
Give students time to read primary source documents and summarize the key arguments of the document in support of granting the right to vote. Sources: W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903) and the NAACP, Platform Adopted by National Negro Committee (1909).
Activity Synthesis
Next, assign each group one of the following Supreme Court cases.
Have groups continue to build on their Case Brief: The Supreme Court and the Vote worksheet and share their findings.
Activity Extension (optional)
What about women’s suffrage? To understand some of the early debates over women’s voting rights and the Constitution, read an excerpt from the Supreme Court’s decision in Minor v. Happersett and compare it with Susan B. Anthony’s Closing Argument at her trial for election fraud in United States of America v. Susan B. Anthony. Reflect on the following questions:
The 19th Amendment bans discrimination at the ballot box based on sex. The battle for women’s suffrage was a long one, involving generations of brave reformers pushing for change at national, state, and local level.
To begin, read Info Brief: The Women’s Suffrage Movement.
Then, your teacher will break your class into groups. Each group should build a women’s suffrage timeline, using the info brief and the National Constitution Center’s Drafting Table tool.
From there, use the Interactive Primary Source Tool: Historic Debates for and Against Suffrage to create a chart of the main arguments for and against women’s suffrage.
Finally, your group will share what you learned and reflect on the battle for women’s suffrage over time and what that story can teach us about the process of constitutional reform within the American constitutional system. We will return to this big question about constitutional reform in Module 15.
The 19th Amendment bans discrimination at the ballot box based on sex. The battle for women’s suffrage was a long one, involving generations of brave reformers pushing for change at national, state, and local level.
To begin, have the students read Info Brief: The Women’s Suffrage Movement.
Then, break the class into groups. Each group should build a women’s suffrage timeline, using the Info Brief and the National Constitution Center’s Drafting Table tool.
From there, each group will use the interactive Debates webpage for and against suffrage to create a chart of the main arguments for and against women’s suffrage.
Finally, as a class, each group will share what they learned and reflect on the battle for women’s suffrage over time and what that story can teach us about the process of constitutional reform within the American constitutional system. We will return to this big question about constitutional reform in Module 15.
Purpose
In this activity, you will research how to vote where you live. You will also identify how someone can become an informed voter in your state and locality.
Process
Using vote.gov, research your state-run voting website and review the process for voting in your state from start to finish. Fill out the Activity Guide: Exploring the Vote in Your Community worksheet.
Create a one-page infographic or fact sheet on voting for the eligible voters in your school and community. Ensure it has at least the following information:
Launch
Have students discuss their experiences with the voting process from news, to going to the polls with adults in their lives. Give students time to research the process for voting in their state from start to finish.
Activity Synthesis
Have students present their one-page infographic or fact sheet on voting. Display voting guides in the classroom and have students develop a plan for sharing their voting guide outside the classroom.
Purpose
Congratulations for completing the activities in this module! Now it’s time to apply what you have learned about the basic ideas and concepts covered.
Process
Complete the questions in the following quiz to test your knowledge.
Launch
This activity will help students determine their overall understanding of module concepts. It is recommended that questions are completed electronically so immediate feedback is provided, but a downloadable copy of the questions (with answer key) is also available.
The 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution. Ratified after the Civil War, this amendment transformed the Constitution forever and is at the core of a period that many scholars refer to as our nation’s “Second Founding.” Even so, the 14th Amendment remains the focus of many of today’s most important constitutional debates (and Supreme Court cases). In many ways, the history of the modern Supreme Court is largely a history of modern-day battles over the 14th Amendment's meaning. So many of t...
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