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Stereotypes: Disenfranchisement In The United States

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The 15th amendment to the Constitution granted African-American men the right to vote in 1870. (Marx, 2014) “By 1877 southern white Democrats had overthrown every new state government and established state constitutions that stripped black citizens of their political rights. To circumvent the 14th and 15th amendments, legislators created clever devices that would disenfranchise black citizens for the next 80 years.” (May, 2013) These devices included poll taxes, literacy tests and property requirements among others. They also had to contend with threats of loss of employment and violence. These conditions led to a dramatic decrease in black voters who were deemed eligible, let alone those who were able to actually exercise their right to vote. …show more content…
Bush won the election for president by winning Florida by a mere 537 votes. Many questions arose during that time regarding disenfranchisement. This included many individuals who were wrongly purged from registration and prevented from voting based on felony convictions that did not exist. Florida is one of the states which has a law permanently disenfranchising anyone with a felony conviction unless pardoned by the governor. Those legally disenfranchised and mistakenly barred from voting were disproportionately African-American. “Laws that disenfranchise because of criminal convictions are the primary means of excluding adult citizens from suffrage in the United States today. In 2010 approximately 5.3 million people could not vote due to criminal convictions.” (Dittmer, 2011) The majority of these individuals are either on probation, parole or have completed their sentences. They remain disenfranchised based on state law. “Due to racial disparities in the criminal justice system, African-Americans are disenfranchised at seven times the national average. The racial effect of these laws is no coincidence. Although disenfranchisement for crime has a long history rooted in Anglo European legal traditions, laws were modified in the 19th century and enforced with the intent of denying the vote to newly enfranchised former slaves.” (Dittmer, 2011) One question that comes up in regards to these statistics and the startling number of individuals disenfranchised …show more content…
It was fought for and hard won by tens of thousands of brave civil rights activists and everyday people standing up for what was right and just. The ideas and ideals behind this act are simply that all people are created equal and that every American citizen has the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to support the policies contained one must only value everyone as equals regardless of race, religion, sex, or ethnicity. This Act gave voice and continues to give voice not only to African Americans but also women, other minorities, the disabled and the poor. It continues to be relevant and necessary

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