From its roots in early English rules to its practice today, this work covers the evolution, expansion, and ongoing debates regarding "the first liberty" in America. The Right to Vote: Rights and Liberties under the Law tracks the expansion of the franchise in America from colonial times to the present. Opening with a case study establishing the importance of access to the ballot, the main emphasis shifts to pivotal points in American history including the hard-fought struggles for women's suffrage and racial equality. A chapter on 21st-century voting rights addresses the most unsettled issue we face today—the use of majority-minority districts to enhance the political influence of African Americans and Latinos. A parting look at free and fair elections and the 2000 presidential election debacle shows how votes not counted or improperly credited can make a mockery of the democratic process.

It was women who first picketed the White House for a political cause. In 1917, they held banners and signs calling for suffrage for women. They wanted the right to vote. These suffragists were continuing a protest that had begun in 1848. Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped found the suffrage movement. Her friend Susan B. Anthony shaped it. They would both live long enough to see women gain the vote in a few states. But it would take another generation to finish the campaign. Among those activists were Carrie Chapman Catt, who took a disciplined and moderate approach, and Alice Paul, whose confrontational style led to picketing the White House. The fight to achieve the vote was long and hard. Suffragists followed both moderate and militant paths. But they shared the belief that women were citizens of the United States. And that meant they had a right to vote.

Editor Carrie Fredericks has compiled compelling essays and primary sources on the Nineteenth Amendment, which grants the right to vote to women. Essay sources include Frederick Douglass, Ellen DuBois, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The New York Times, The Associated Press, James E. Potter, and Gloria Steinem.

Today, most adults can vote in the United States. But to get here many groups have had to fight for that right--including women. In 1920, women across the country finally gained the right to choose their representatives in government. With historical images and details about key events before and after the passage of the amendment that granted women the right to vote, this book will help kids understand the impact of the amendment on voting rights in the United States. Uncover the details of events that changed your world in this Pebble Explore series.

The right to vote was not always granted to all Americans, which is a horrible blemish on American history, nevertheless this crucial right is held under the Fifteenth Amendment. Readers will examine its historical background, its challenges, and its successes. Readers will come to understand the necessity of ensuring voting rights in contemporary America.

The suffrage movement was the fight for the right of women to vote. Highlighting the lives and careers of notable suffragists like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul, author Carol Rust Nash traces the movement's roots from the temperance and abolition movements through its success with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. The author describes the many tactics used to fight for the right to vote for women, as well as the many problems and setbacks faced by the women and men involved in the movement.

An accessible, informed, and timely biography of Lyndon Johnson that centers his life and presidency around the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Keenly known for both his triumphs and his failures, Lyndon B. Johnson was one of the most complex and compelling presidents in US history. Anne Quirk’s biography alternates between chapters that follow LBJ’s childhood in rural Texas learning politics from his parents, his time teaching Mexican American students at a small-town school, and his days in Congress as majority leader and as vice president; and chapters that cover his work alongside civil rights leaders and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. An epilogue discusses the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling that struck down key portions of the act. With engaging storytelling, Quirk paints a rich portrait of Johnson’s presidency, celebrating the accomplishments of his Great Society programs while refusing to shy away from his catastrophic decisions regarding Vietnam and the summer riots of 1967. Larger Than Life presents striking parallels to today’s political arena: an outsize character presiding over a divided nation—but to different ends.