The Struggle for Voting Rights Playlist
12 items
Voting Rights in America
E Lesson
E Lesson
20 Min
A vote is the best way of getting the kind of country and the kind of world you want. –HARRY S. TRUMAN The history of the amendments to the Constitution is, in one sense, a history of the expansion of certain political freedoms, including voting. At the Founding of the United States, many groups, including landless white men, slaves, free blacks, and women, could not vote.
Voting Rights and the U.S. Constitution
E Lesson
E Lesson
20 Min
As we approach this mid-term election, it’s important for students to keep in mind the responsibility they have as citizens to be informed and -- if they are old enough -- to vote for the candidate that they believe will best work on their behalf toward ensuring the common good. Elections can be a divisive time, but they are also a time where we come together to celebrate the beauty of democracy and to express our opinions through the vote. Voting is an expression of individual liberty and ought to happen freely, without coercion or intimidation. Sadly that has not always been the case in the United States. This lesson walks students through how individual liberty has been more fully realized through the expansion of the franchise.
We Shall Overcome: The Fight for Voting Rights
Lesson
Lesson
In this lesson, developed by and included with the permission the LBJ Presidential Library, students will examine primary source documents associated with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Reconstruction Amendments: Thirteenth Amendment, 1865, Fourteenth Amendment, 1868, and Fifteenth Amendment, 1870
Activity
Activity
Learning from The Sky is Now Her Limit Cartoon |
A Primary Source Close Read w/ BRI
Video
Video
29 Min
Mary Patterson and Elizabeth Evans take a deep dive into Elmer Andrews Bushnell’s
powerful political cartoon, “The Sky Is Now Her Limit.” The cartoon’s publication
coincided with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, celebrating the
seemingly limitless opportunities that suffrage would unlock for women. Exploring
the themes of equality and empowerment, Mary and Elizabeth make connections
between this work and the impassioned struggles of contemporary leaders like Alice
Paul. What does this cartoon convey about society during the time of the 19th Amendment's ratification?
29 Min
Votes for Women
Curriculum - 8 Lessons
Curriculum
8 Lessons
How did the suffragists map out a pathway for change to achieve the vote through the Nineteenth Amendment?
Selma-to-Montgomery Marchers: Diligently Crossing the Bridge
Lesson - 2 Activities
Lesson
2 Activities
45 Min
How did the Civil Rights marcher from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 demonstrate diligence?
45 Min
Selma, Montgomery and “Good Trouble”
Podcast
Podcast
32 Min
Gary, Mary, and Eryn reflect on a particularly important moment in the civil rights movement, the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. They'll explore how the events of Selma fit into the bigger picture of the civil rights movement and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. What can this march teach us about the significance of turning points in a movement? And what lessons from it are still very relevant today?
32 Min
Remember the Ladies: Women’s Right to Vote
Podcast
Podcast
What was the seminal moment in the votes for women movement? Join Mary and special guest Dr. Emily Krichbaum, History Department Chair at the Columbus School for Girls and founder of Remember The Ladies, as they delve into women’s progression of rights, ultimately leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment. What many roles did women have in advancing their right to vote? What methods of protest made Alice Paul different from her contemporaries?
Check out more episodes at https://billofrightsinstitute.org/podcast