Given the Past, What Should Be Done to Ensure the Right to Vote is Fair and Accessible in America?
Voting in elections is a marker of a free society because it gives citizens a voice in political processes. Everyone has not always have the right to vote in America though. Certain communities have been denied the right to vote due to issues like racism and sexism. The U.S. legal system has played an important part of this because it has justified the exclusion or promoted the enfranchisement of different groups of voters. With each generation, new issues related to voting the legal system must consider arise. To fully understand current voting rights issues, one must have a clear understanding of the past.
This inquiry allows high school students to consider key legal cases related to voting rights, including a historical analysis of 19th-century Reconstruction Acts and the ways the 2020 presidential election affects voting rights today. These activities culminate in a challenge for students to use their historical knowledge and take action for the best solution for voting rights in their state, local, or national community .
It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to make a more perfect union.”
Helpful Hints
- Historical Empathy
- When reading and discussing issues, encourage students to try taking the perspective of people from that time period when discussing point of view.
- Discussion Questions
- The discussion questions are the key element of the lessons. It is imperative that students discuss questions amongst themselves with the teacher acting as the facilitator. Please refer to guidelines on transactive discussion tips and techniques.
- Writing prompts
- Writing prompts are also key in reinforcing the new information and the discussion that has taken place. The prompts allow students to integrate the perspectives they have heard into a cohesive argument.
- Make sure students complete writing prompts even if it means assigning the prompt as homework.