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1776 NC CONSTITUTION!
The first of three NC Constitutions was in 1776. It was created in order to ensure the rights of its citizens and to create a government for our state. The first article of the Constitution gives the Declaration of Rights. Section one gives the political power to the people, or in other words, the right to vote. This was important because it showed how important the political freedoms were to NC. Among other things, the Constitution gave many rights to North Carolinians. -
SENECA FALLS CONVENTION!
The Seneca Falls Convention was an important event in history. It was a landmark convention in the Women's Rights movement. It was a significant event because it had men and women working for women's rights. These people included Fredrick Douglas and Elizabeth Stanton who were both activists for equal rights. The convention had 68 women and 32 men signed their Declaration to give men and women equal rights, especially the right to vote. Many regard this as the start of feminism. -
PASSAGE OF THE 15th AMENDMENT!
The 15th amendment was passed after years of people of an African race were denied their right to vote. After this passage, difficulty would still come to those who were granted their rights, but it was a start. This was very significant because it was the start of the end of racial oppression. People could vote despite their skin or their previous servitude. Over the years, voting would still remain difficult. However, unconstitutional acts such as the literacy test would be outlawed. -
JIM CROW LAWS!
These laws were enacted in the South of the US to prevent African-Americans from having power. This included literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and a poll tax. These all prevented many from voting due to purposeful discrimination. They were significant barriers to African Americans because many were poor, couldn't read, and did not have grandfathers with rights before the Civil War. These laws were passed individually by states and would last for many decades. -
PASSAGE OF THE 17th AMENDMENT!
The 17th amendment gave voters the right to vote for the 2 senators to represent their state. It used to be that the state legislatures would chose the senators. This all changed after multiple conflicts and challenges created because of this. The amendment resolved all the problems by giving the power to the people. It gave more power to the people which helped with representation as well as giving equal legislation powers to the Senate and the House. All together it was a good decision. -
PASSAGE OF THE 19th AMENDMENT!
The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. This amendment was created after many women began to protest in order to get their right to vote. This was a significant event because even in the 1840's women have been working for their right to vote. Women took to protests and movements, one women even got into Congress. To put that into perspective, a women was allowed to be in government before she could vote. Almost 80 years later, their work paid off and Congress gave them their right. -
THE INDIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT!
In 1924, Congress passed a bill that would allow Native Americans the right to vote. This bill would also make all Native Americans within the territory of the US, citizens. This is important because Native Americans had been denied this right since the beginning. They finally had got it. There were still many struggles because the rights were governed by the states. Luckily it was a start and it is now an everyday accommodate for them. -
PASSAGE OF THE 23rd AMENDMENT!
The 23rd amendment allowed for the District of Columbia to have the same rights as any state. This included the rights to vote, an elected local government, and a non-voting party in the House. Since 1800, the District has been the home for our government, but the people in it never had the rights of other states. In 1960, the District had over 3/4 of a million people in it. Because of this, the 23rd amendment was decided on. It was best that the citizens could have the same rights as others. -
PASSAGE OF THE 24th AMENDMENT!
The 24th amendment allowed everyone to vote without the poll-tax. This tax made it difficult for lower class citizens especially African-Americans to vote. This amendment was made even though the 15th amendment made voting discrimination on race illegal. There would have been no need, but many states found loopholes through the tax. For a time, the tax was deemed constitutional. After multiple cases, it was declared unconstitutional after many years, and those who couldn't afford to vote, could. -
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT!
The Voting Rights Act was created to ensure the 15th amendment wasn't ignored. The act was made by President Johnson and ensured that no one would be denied there right to vote due to tests, taxes, etc. It made sure that literacy teat would be outlawed as well as enforced the 24th amendment even more. It also gave the power to enforce the act to the Attorney General. After the passing of the act, over 250,000 new black voters had registered. The act was very important in giving them a voice. -
PASSAGE OF THE 26th AMENDMENT!
The 26th amendment allowed people who were 18 and older the right to vote. This amendment had been a hot topic since the 1940's and was finally passed. This was significant because many argued for this right for decades. Many said that because men are able to go to war at 18 they should be able to vote. Congress finally listened and changed the voting age from 21 to 18. This was impart, due to the changing of voting regulations for many.