26W2

Twenty-Sixth Amendment


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Essential Questions:

What Issues Prompted The Creation Of The 26th Amendment?

What Impact Did The 26th Amendment Have On Society At That Time?


Q. Why did Americans want the 26th Amendment to be passed?
A. Before the 1970s, men were drafted into war before they were allowed to vote. Soldiers were allowed to fight in a war at age 18 but were not allowed to vote until age 21. The debate on whether or not Americans should be able to vote at age 18 was brought upon during WWII but not strongly talked about until the Vietnam War.

Q.What did Americans do that made government officials pass the 26th Amendment?
A. Many people saw what was happening during the Vietnam War and decided to stop it. They were mad that men could sacrifice their lives but not vote for the people that they were dying for. Protesters came up with the motto “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” Youth voting rights activists held marches and demonstrations to draw lawmakers’ attentions and try to get them to consider creating the amendment.

Q. What did the people against the amendment do to try to stop it from being passed?
A. Those against the amendment tried to do anything to stop it from being passed. Some came up with the idea that if the age limit was lowered everyone should be able to fight. They thought that the age limit shouldn’t be lowered because women were not required to fight.

Q. What other countries followed America into lowering their voting age?
A. In the 1970s the voting age was reduced to 18 in many countries. Some countries, like Finland, lowered the voting age from 20 to 18 in 1972, quickly after the United States did. Countries like Italy (1975), Ireland (1973), and Belgium (1981) did too. Many countries believed that the voting age should be lowered to 18. Some countries are still debating on whether or not they should. (Click Here To See All Of The Countries That Have)26th-Amendment.jpg

Q.How many government officials agreed to the Amendment?
A. On March 10, 1971, the Senate voted 94–0 in favor of proposing the 26 amendment, which guaranteed that the voting age could not be higher than 18. On March 23, 1971, the House Of Representatives voted 401–19 in favor of the proposed amendment.¾ of the states (38 of them) ratified the 26th amendment which made it become part of the Constitution.


Q. Who were the first people to bring upon the idea of the amendment?
A. Senator Harley Kilgore began promoting a lowered voting age in 1941 in the 77th Congress. Even though she got the support of some representatives, senators, and the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Congress failed to pass the amendment.

Q. Why did the government decide to have the voting age as 18?
A. Government officials decided that the voting age should be 18 for many reasons. First, young people are far better equipped -- intellectually, physically, and emotionally -- to make the type of choices involved in voting than past generations were. Many experts believe that an 18 year-old is at least the equal, physically and mentally, of a 21 year-old of his father's generation, or a 25 year-old of his grandfather's generation.
In 1920, only 17% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 21 were high school graduates. Only 8% went on to college. Today, (as of March 9, 1970) by contrast 79% of Americans in this age group are high school graduates. 47% go on to college.
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Q. Why was the amendment created around the time of the Vietnam War?
A. During the Vietnam War, US citizens got an up close and personal look at the war. It was shown on TV for millions to see. People were furious that young men could be killed in a war but not vote. After the war, people did all they could to persuade the government to change the voting age, so that this wouldn't happen again.

Q. What were the positive effects of this Amendment?
A. The positive effect of this amendment is that young men and women are allowed to vote. Instead of being able to participate in wars, young men could elect representatives and officials. This could be handy for people running for president or other government executives. They could get a significantly higher vote because more young people would be able submit polls.
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Q. What were the negative effects of this Amendment?
A. The negative effect of this amendment is that 18 year old people aren't fully mature or responsible. They might vote for the wrong person because other people, like their friends, are. They could foolishly pick the representatives without thinking twice. Another negative effect is that many young adults don't care enough to vote. Many 18 year old's are still living in their parent's home and don't have a job. They might not know much about politics, so they won't vote.


There were many issues that prompted the creation of the 26th Amendment. Young men could be drafted into war at age 18, but not vote until 21. The public was livid - their sons could participate in something that could cost them their life but not vote for the government officials that they were representing. It was crazy that they could fight in a war but not choose the government officials. Although the idea of lowering the voting age was thought about during WWII, it was not heavily debated about until after the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, millions of people could see what was happening on TV. They could see the battles and what was going on, which made them extremely angry. They even led protests and demonstrations to bring attention to help lower the voting age. Those were the main issue that prompted the creation of the 26th Amendment. (B.N)
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There was some impact from the creation of the 26th Amendment. The 26th amendment is the amendment which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. By this, millions of young men were allowed to vote. They were old enough to fight but they weren't allowed to vote by their ages which is unfair for them. Then by the 26th amendment, they were able to vote and fight. Also, they were allowed to participate actively in the democratic process and to have a powerful voice in shaping their political future. While turnout among those ages eighteen to twenty are relatively low in the United States during recent elections, the right to vote is an important right for young adults. The 26th Amendment was propelled forward by three of the era’s most powerful currents. They were old to fight, but couldn’t vote so it was unfair to young adults. But after the 26th amendment they have right to fight and vote. Therefore, all citizens and the Senate were happy about it. (R.O)

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States That Ratified The 26th Amendment



Down Below Are The Links To The Fantastic Websites We Used To Help Create This Wiki -

http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-26th-amendment-definition-history-facts-court-cases.html

http://www.history.com/topics/the-26th-amendment

http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-26th-amendment-definition-history-facts-court-cases.htm

http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37022

http://youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/top-ten-reasons-to-lower-the-voting-age/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/29/645565/-

http://tedkennedy.org/ownwords/event/voting_age

http://democracyday.com/the-26th-amendment.html

http://historyforfree.com/2013/07/08/a-brief-history-of-lowering-the-voting-age-and-the-26th-amendment/



Current Events -



Should we Raise the Voting Age?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/11/11/raise-voting-age-25-yale-missouri-protests-political-debate-column/75577468/

Back in 1971, the 26th Amendment was something that seemed necessary. It was needed, as young men could be drafted into war but not vote. They could also legally marry and serve on jury duties. They deserved a vote, a say in the government. But, in retrospect, that might have been a mistake. Students today, legally able to vote under the protection of the 26th Amendment, are not mature enough to be a part of the government. Recently, a senior at Yale University, assaulted a professor, Nicholas Christakis, with a profane tirade after a disagreement over "offensive" - yes, offensive - Halloween costumes. The student held a screaming fit because Professor Christakis' failure to agree with her made her feel "unsafe". The professor's wife, Erika, who's a lecturer at Yale on childhood education, challenged a campus-wide request that students should become sensitive over offensive Halloween costumes. How do we trust people who get offended over a Halloween costume to vote for the people to run our country?

The American people should come together to raise the voting age. 18-year-olds shouldn’t be able to vote, and neither should 21-year-olds. They may be 18, but they are in no shape or form capable of voting; they act like children. 18-year-olds back in 1971 were much more mature than the 18-year-olds today, and even more mature than the 21-year-olds. The legal voting age for American citizens should be around 23-25 years old. This is when the brain starts to become more mature, so the voters will pick a candidate to run the country with more thought. Instead of voting for someone just because they are a women, or because they’ll get free college, the people should pick someone who they truly believe will help this country, and because they agree with what the candidate stands for. How can we trust these sensitive students who cry over costumes to vote? If 18-year-olds are screaming for safe-spaces because of “offensive” Halloween costumes, they are not mature enough to pick a person to run America.

-B.N


Don't Lower the Voting Age!

http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/849902/Current-voting-age-in-US-should-not-be-l

Across America, there have been debates about whether or not we should lower the voting age to 16. Scotland has done, so why not us? There's a tiny problem - not only do most young people who can vote not vote, how do we trust kids who are don't have permission to drive on the highway to vote? According to Vote.com, only about 45% of 18-29-year-olds vote. Wouldn’t it be logical that adding 16 and 17-year-olds to the mix would increase the amount of voters? Well, that is slightly true, except for the fact that the people voting are students, who are in school have homework to do, and are still learning how to drive. This brings up another point – drivers aged 16-19 have the highest annual crash and traffic violations rates than any other age group. Why, and how, will we trust kids who crash their cars and disregard safety laws to vote? We can’t, and that’s the problem.16-year-olds will most likely choose a candidate who they think is cool, not someone who will actually help the country. Most adults don’t even understand how the government works, so why should 16-year-olds? Adults have more on the line – taxes, families, jobs, money – they should be the ones voting. Instead of lowering the voting age, maybe we should raise it.

We should not, under any circumstances, lower the voting age. The 26th amendment is almost half a century old. If we change or edit it, we should be raising the voting age. 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds are not mature enough. They are the ones still crashing their cars and studying for exams, they should not be voting. Even 18-year-olds aren't mature enough to vote. Adults, who are really the ones voting, have more responsibility. If high-school and college kids do vote, and surprisingly change the outcome of a nomination, the person they pick isn't usually a good one. All students care about is free things and diversity, not actual politics. 16-year-olds should be deciding whether or not they should study for a test, not who they should vote for.

-B.N

Campaign to Lower Voting Age to 16 in Local Races Ignites a Debate

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/us/politics/campaign-to-lower-voting-age-to-16-in-local-races-ignites-a-debate.html?_r=1

In America, there is a campaign which has the aim to lower the voting age from 18 to 16. This is called Vote 16 USA. Of course, there are opponents who say that teenagers are not old enough to vote and they will make wrong decisions. John J. Pitney Jr., a professor of politics says teenagers are flocking around Donald Trump and are playing. However, some teenagers like Joseph Jackson think they have responsibility because in that age, they could drive, work, pay taxes, and trying to be like an adult. Also, there are teenager people like Jillian Wu who is working on this campaign for local elections. She thinks they have the right to vote for their government and think they want to select their own environment how to grow. Many countries lowered the voting age, but there's any problem with it. For example, Maryland, Takoma Park lowered the voting age to 16 in 2013 and also Hyattsville did. Jackson says "No taxation without representation is what comes to mind."

26th amendment is still relevant today. It is a good idea about the campaign, Vote 16 USA. It is because there would be much more people who vote than the people voting from 18 years old. And government could know how the young people feel about this society. Also, by doing these adults do from 16 years old, it could influence their future by knowing economy from this year. But there are bad things about lowering the voting age. For example, there are teenagers who says that they have responsibility to vote, but don't know how it is. And 16 years old are still going to school and have things to do by being an adult. It is the bad time to vote.

-R.O

Raise The Voting Age

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/387258/raise-voting-age-josh-gelernter

In America, voting age shouldn't be 18 years old. It is because most of the teenagers don't know what is happening in this economy that much. For example, a person went to the college and asked "Do you know Churchill?" Then, only five students out of one thousand students. These things are happening because of the education in our own countries and parents. But some people think they will be more knowledgeable by going to the college and became 21 years old. However, there are students who doesn't go to college, so they can't get knowledge anymore. In the past, "If you are old enough to fight, you're old enough to vote. Now, lawmakers says the decision could be picked by alcohol. This is by in America, people can't drink or buy any alcohol over 21 years old. So, they could use this law to say 18 years old are too young to vote. But, there are no fights today, so it is difficult what is the criterion and how to decide.

It is good about raising the voting age from 18 to 21, but we can't by the law. From 21 years old, people could drink alcohol, are getting knowledge of economy about their own countries at the college. It is good to have better knowledge to vote, but 18 years old people won't know enough knowledge because the schools don't teach about economies that much. Also, around the people will think over 20 is already an adult and treat them like an adult. But under 20 years old are still students, so voting should be only done by adults that is over 20 years old. Students who are 18 years old won't be able to summarize about economy or society. For example, name five amendments in the Bill of Right or name five president between Lincoln and Truman. So, there should be much knowledge or it is hard to vote.

-R.O





Many people saw what was happening during the Vietnam War and decided to stop it. The people were mad that men could sacrifice their lives but not vote for the people that they are sacrificing for. Protesters came up with the motto “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” Youth voting rights activists held marches and demonstrations to draw lawmakers’ attentions.
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