How did the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments change American society?

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History

Gavyn Singh

8 September, 16:58

How did the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments change American society?

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Quintin Harper · Answer 1

Fifteenth Amendment--gave black men the right to vote.

The Fifteenth Amendment was the last of the Civil War amendments and was ratified in 1870. The amendment gave black men the right to vote completing their transition from slavery to voting citizens in the US. The amendment however was contested in many southern states which caused them to pass a series of laws referred to as Jim Crow laws which restricted a black man's right to vote.

Nineteenth Amendment--gave women the right to vote

The Nineteenth Amendment was the last of the Progressive Era amendments and gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified in 1920 and gave women the political voice they had been demanding since 1848. With this right, women were able to have a say regarding property rights as well as major political issues that they were unable to weigh in on prior to 1920.

Twenty-fourth Amendment--ended the use of poll taxes

The Twenty-fourth Amendment was ratified in 1964 and was part of civil rights legislation dominating the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. The amendment officially outlawed the use of poll taxes--a tax required to vote initially established to allow non-landowners to vote. However the poll tax was eventually used to prevent blacks from voting after many states removed the landowning restriction. Poll taxes were found to prevent lower income individuals from voting, many of which were black in 1964. The removal of this tax, opened voting to all classes.

Twenty-sixth Amendment--gave people the age of 18 and older the right to vote.

The Twenty-sixth Amendment was ratified in 1971 in reaction to protests by Vietnam draftees and college students. The complaint was men could be drafted to die for their country at the age of 18 but could not vote for the people putting them in that position. The passage of this amendment lowered the voting age from 21 (in most states) to 18 giving those viewed as adults full citizenship rights.