152nd Anniversary of the 15th Amendment

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152nd Anniversary of the 15th Amendment
The Right to Vote: An Important Step in Realizing the Vision in our Declaration

The right to vote is one of the most basic rights in any self-ruling nation.

It was, however, not until the ratification of the 15th Amendment on February 3, 1870 that the right to vote was guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
While it was not a sweeping solution, the 15th Amendment was a big step forward in our progress toward achieving the vision in our Declaration of Independence—that "all men are created equal" and entitled to the same fundamental rights.

Why didn't the Founders include the right to vote in the original Constitution?
At the time of our nation's founding, voting rights were a highly divisive issue. The founders did not want any controversy to get in the way of forming the union, and voting rights were part of larger, very complex debates regarding slavery and property ownership. James Madison ([link removed]) said,

"The right of suffrage is a fundamental Article in Republican Constitutions. The regulation of it is, at the same time, a task of peculiar delicacy."

At the time of the Constitutional Convention, the framers were not able to find a compromise that would allow them to move forward as a union. As a result, they resolved to leave all questions of voting—from eligibility to conducting elections—up to the states.

Securing Equal Voting Rights
The laws set by individual states differed widely, but in most states, only white men who owned property could vote. It took a Civil War and the end of slavery to pave the way for the constitutionally-protected right to vote for all citizens.

The 15th Amendment clarified that the right to vote could not be refused on the basis of race. The amendment was the final of three modifications made to the Constitution following the Civil War, commonly known as the "Civil War Amendments."
15th Amendment to the U.S Constitution
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color or previous condition or servitude. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
While the amendment was an important step towards equality, it took many more years to secure the right to vote for all citizens.

Women were not guaranteed the right to vote until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. Native American people born in the United States were not considered full American citizens until 1924 when the Snyder Act recognized their citizenship. And African Americans' right to vote was impeded through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other disenfranchisement practices.

In 1965, nearly a century later, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to ensure the federal government and courts could enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments, and prohibit the denial of the right to vote on the basis of race.

Striving to Realize the Declaration's Promise
Our country is continuously working toward the vision of our founders. As we strive to realize the promise of equality in our Declaration, it is important to remember our failures along the way.

We can certainly learn from our nation's history as we each forge our own way to enlightened, involved citizenship. We need to make more progress toward achieving our vision, without destroying the progress we've made in the past.

At the Jack Miller Center, we are committed to bringing American history—warts and all—back to the forefront of our nation's classrooms and helping the next generation get closer to realizing the American promise.
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The battle for the soul of our nation will be won or lost in our classrooms ™ — Jack Miller

At the Jack Miller Center, that battle is our sole mission. We are the boots on the ground, working to bring the American political tradition and history back to the classroom. Please consider a tax-deductible gift ([link removed]) to JMC. Your donation, large or small, is an investment in the future of our country—for you, for your children, for your grandchildren.
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About the Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to reinvigorate education in America's founding principles and history. We work to advance the teaching and study of America's history, its political and economic institutions, and the central principles, ideas and issues arising from the American and Western traditions—all of which continue to animate our national life.

We support professors and educators through programs, resources, fellowships and more to help them teach our nation's students.
www.jackmillercenter.org

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