Davidray03

Read this excerpt from the Preamble to the United States Constitution:

United States. Preamble and First Amendment to the United States Constitution. (1787, 1791) Preamble

We, the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.

How did the voting rights acts of 1869, 1920, and 1971 expand the "Blessings of Liberty" to more of the United States' population? Write a short essay to explain your answer.

Following the Civil War, Congress passed and then the states ratified the Fifteenth Amendment, expanding voting rights to black men who were now no longer slaves but citizens. The amendment, passed by Congress in 1869 and ratified by a sufficient number of states by February, 1870, stated: " 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."

In 1920, voting rights were further expanded voting rights to include women as voting members of US society. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, which stated, " 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 sex." This was in response not only to the women's suffrage movement but also the dedicated service of women working in factories on the home front during World War I.

Already during the World War II era, a movement began to lower the voting age. "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote" became a common slogan and some states did lower their voting age from 21 to 18. But voting age was still a state by state decision. The 26th Amendment, passed and ratified in 1971, made the age of 18 the national standard: " 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."

With each of these amendments, Congress and the country were doing more to " secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution.