1. The Right to Vote Chapter 6 Section 1 The success of democratic government depends on, in particular, the right to vote. Framers of the Constitution left it to the States to set suffrage qualifications. At first, right to vote was generally restricted to white male property owners. History of American suffrage marked by two long term-trends. -growing federal control over suffrage -elimination of voting restrictions

2. Five Stages of Expanding Suffrage Religious, tax, property qualification begin to disappear (early 1800s) 15 th Amendment prohibits restrictions based on race or color (1870) 19 th Amendment removes restrictions based on sex (1920) Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforces racial equality at polling places 26 th Amendment set minimum voting age to 18 (1971) 23 rd Amendment allowed voters of Washington D.C. to vote for President (1961) 24 th Amendment eliminated poll tax and any other tax for voting (1964) Beyond these five restrictions, no State can violate any other provision in the Constitution in the setting of suffrage qualifications.

3. United States History – Civil Rights Frustration over discrimination led to race riots between 1965 and 1967. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy dealt a major blow to the civil rights movement. President Lyndon B. Johnson sign The Voting Rights Act into law in 1965. Many African-Americans were growing very impatient with Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful protests which led to the following of Malcolm X.