The 21st Amendment was very crucial in moving forward in the United States society. The 18th Amendment prohibited alcohol while the 21st repealed it. The 18th did more harm to America than it did for the good. The Amendment gave way for organized crime and corruption to development. It was this time that gangs, organized crime, and corruption took a strong hold in the United States and set it precedence for years to come. Several other consequences came with it. Besides the best restaurants in town going underground in the black market, entertainment was economically effected, without alcohol it became nearly impossible to retain audiences. Additionally, thousands became unemployed, waiters, truckers, bar tenders, barrel makes, and brew
In the late 1700’s, James Madison wrote the first Ten Amendments that are listed in the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights were written to ensure American citizens that they have freedoms and rights that the government can 't infringe.
After nearly one-hundred and fifty years of living in the New World, the colonists were anxious to be separated from their mothering country, England. Thomas Jefferson and other colonists got together to write an official document called the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776 to send to King George III. This document stated how the colonists were being treated unjustly and how independence should be granted to the citizens. The Declaration of Independence promises natural rights for all men, however, some rights such as suffrage, are not realized for some disenfranchised groups.
The 15th Amendment (Amendment XV), which gave African-American men the right to vote, was inserted into the U.S. Constitution on March 30, 1870. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment says, “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 of servitude.” Although the amendment was passed in the late 1870s, many racist practices were used to oppose African-Americans from voting, especially in the Southern States like Georgia and Alabama. After many years of racism, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overthrow legal barricades at the state and local levels that deny African-Americans their right to vote. In the
The U.S. Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times since ratified on June 21, 1788. These Amendments have been crucial to the up-keeping of America and its constant changes. The most of important of which being the 24th Amendment, which protected voting rights from taxes. The 24th amendment reads as followed “The Twenty-fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax”. The Amendments that led up to the 24th were just as significant, but brought no real change. This was huge for the equal rights movement and gave African-Americans a real opportunity to vote and have a voice in politics to one day change the lives of them and their children to come.
After a fifty mile fight, Selma to Montgomery, African Americans finally reached the finish line, and voting was achievable for all. It was not easy though. After 250 years of slavery the civil war made everyone free. The reconstruction followed, in efforts to make things equal for everyone, but Plessy v. Ferguson was a setback. It started the “separate but equal” concept, and life was segregated for 60 years. Then the court case, Brown v. Board of Education, ended “separate but equal”, and started the integration process. The integration had started, but African Americans still could not vote, so Martin Luther King lead thousands in the Selma Marches. The voting rights act was signed, and everyone could easily vote. The marches were essential
The 26th amendment states “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.” My opinion on the 26 amendment is that the voting age should be lowered to 16 instead of 18. I also believe the 2nd amendment should be change which also expresses “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Changing the 26th amendment could gradually increase society being safer.
The Reconstruction was important to American history because it gave all different types of people their rights. The fourteenth amendment, The Dawes act and The Homestead Act all have things in common. All of these acts involve something to do with race and or forcing people out of their homes or land.
The voting act was an act that supported that african americans have the right to vote like any white man. Another tactic used was the idea of Black Nationalism. African Americans united together was under Malcolm X and islam. Malcolm X gave African Americans a idea of black nationalism and that they are good and better than white people. Also SNCC, which used to have white members purged them all so that the African Americans can do things themselves without the help of any white men.The movements that were upfront with stopping voting discrimination were most successful and gained support nationwide for its goals and objectives. A year later segregation was outlawed by the Omnibus Civil Rights Act. In the end the Civil Rights Movement in 1965-1969 may not have been 100 percent successful but African Americans did make progress and are a few steps closer to being economically, politically and morally equal like any white
The amendments were put into place to protect the rights and civil liberties of all American citizens from the federal government. However, prior to the fourteenth amendment, there was no certainty with the constitution. The constitution did not state in a clear enough way who was protected under it and exactly what rights you had as an American Citizen. The 14th amendment was in response to the just passed thirteenth amendment, which ended slavery in all of the southern states. This document drastically changed the perception of the citizens, showing that it protected the civil rights of whites and blacks. While the fourteenth amendment was instated to expand citizenship, it has caused controversy
Eric Foner explains in, “The Checkered History of the Great Fourteenth Amendment,” that in addition to providing the revolutionary act of promoting black American's freedom, the Fourteenth Amendment was one of the most critical outcomes of the Civil War because it set a precedent for the federal government to have power over state governments. The amendment represented a turning tide where the “national state” was no longer viewed as “as a threat to liberty”(Foner). For the first time in American History, the federal government truly possessed the power to act as a benevolent overseer of it's citizens.
Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) declared that separate public schools for African American and White children is unconstitutional. This ruling paved the way for desegregation and was a major victory for the civil rights movement. In regards to providing an equal education I believe this ruling did help to level the playing field. All students would now be receiving equal education and facilities giving them equal opportunity. I do know that it didn 't exactly go down peacefully and many African Americans still did not receive fair treatment for many many years but it was a stepping stone to move education in the right direction. As far as segregation in the school system I believe that is a thing of the past. I know there is racism ( a
Everyone got along for the good of the nation. This amendment promotes the common good because it allows for less fights against equality and allows everyone to get along better and have better friendships. It’s mandatory for people to work together towards the common good. The 19th Amendment states that we have the right to vote and nobody can deny us the right to vote based on our gender. This amendment promotes the common good because people will have representatives that are better liked because men as well as women can vote. There are many different ways to protect citizens like our Natural Rights Philosophy created by John Locke.
People always want to demand their essential rights from government’s restriction by passing new laws. There was a period when people demanded their rights in the 1900s. Within the United States, most African Americans’ rights were denied by state governments. Hence, in the 1960s, they took a stand on requiring their rights through the Civil Rights movement around the country. During this movement, the Voting Rights Act was significant and for the reason is that this act gave African Americans a chance to participate in US politics by their votes. Even though the government adopted the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African Americans’ suffrages were still restricted because of southern states’ obstructions.
Civil rights have impacted our nation in a tremendous way. To me civil rights matter. Without civil rights, we would be living in a nation full of poverty. We would also be living in a dark world of racial discrimination. As you may know, the years of poverty ended by the civil rights act. The civil rights act was an act that outlawed discrimination of any sorts. This included things like the discrimination of gender, race, color, or national origin. If we didn’t have civil rights, our nation could be a much darker place than it is right now. There would be people of color who were enslaved and didn’t have voting rights or the right to have a job or the right to own any land or money. It would be very different to live in such a