XV
Section 1. 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.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
This again seems fairly straightforward. The 14th amendment established the citizenship of Black men, and citizens can vote. It would again be very necessary to enforce it by appropriate legislation. That would include the 24th amendment abolishing the poll tax in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
In addition there would be questions on who else would be counted as a citizen and get to have a voice. Three of the upcoming amendments are about adding groups of voters: 19 (women), 23 (citizens of DC), and 26 (18 year old citizens).
Some enfranchisement happened without amendments. Chinese Americans were given the vote in 1943, Asian Indians in 1946, and other Asian Americans in 1952.
http://www.racefiles.com/2013/07/31/three-things-asian-americans-owe-to-the-civil-rights-movement/
Up until 1957, some states did not allow Native Americans to vote.
Currently there are no legal barriers officially based on race, but when segments of the population are disenfranchised, it tends to be people of color.
So we still have a long way to go, and knowing our history, including legal history, remains important.
On that note, here's a brief clip from the movie Selma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YRUUFYeOPI
No comments:
Post a Comment