Amendment 26
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Essential Question: How did the issues which Prompted the creation of your amendment compare with the issues they are appiled to today?
1) Q.When was the amendment ratified?
A: This amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971.
2) Q. Who was president when the amendment was ratified?
A: Richard M. Nixon was the president when the amendment was ratified.
3) Q.How did this amendment affect the U.S?
A: In the following 38 years, it has greatly affected the presidental elections.
4) Q.What was the reason for lowering the voting age?
A: People thought that if eighteen year olds were old enough to participate in military services, they were old enough to vote.
5) Q.Who thought of making this amendment?
A: Hugo L. Black
6) Q.How did this amendment affect the most recent election?
A:This amenment affected and made obama win by all young voters on his side. 64% of people 20 years of age to 18 voted for obama when a mear 34% of older people did
7) Q.How was this new amendment enforced?
A:There was no real way to enforce this amendment just to let the amendment settle in and let people under 21-18 realize that they could now vote and take action and vote in the up coming elections. (although the goverment did run some adds and news articles on how the voting age was lowerd!
8) Q.How long did it take to ratify the amendment?
A: It took only 107 days to ratify this amendment.
9) Q.How did the Vietnam war contribute to the amendment being ratified?
A: The Vietnam War contributed to the amendment being ratified because eighteen year olds were out there, putting their lives at risk every time they went out to fight. They got shot, and even sick due to lack of clothes, food, etc., which showed that they were capable of voting if they could go out and do everything they have done to help their country.
10) Q. When was this amendment passed by congress?
A:This amendment was passed by congress on July 1, 1971.


Read by: Aimee

On March 23, 1971 the U.S congress decided that they should introduce an amendment that they felt very strongly about. In 107 days the U.S congress had offically lowerd the U.S voting age to 18 years of age. This amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971. Members of the Youth Rights association are trying even harder to lower the voting age once again to the age of 16. ( http://www.youthrights.org/vote10.php ) The 26th amendment is a very important amendment to our country, meaning when people 18 years old and older vote, they are putting there opinion into the world to say who they think should lead and direct our country. I believe it is a great amendment by lowering the voting age to 18 and im happy its ratified.This amendment had a huge effect on our up coming president , Barack Obama! An astonishing 64% of citizens under the age of 21 voted for him when only 34% people under the age of 21 voted for McCain. This amendment helped Barack Obama win this election, and no doubt it will help more presidential candiates to win, and be the president of the United States of America.



Read by: Juliana

The 26th amendment was requested on March 23, 1971 and was ratified on July 1, 1971. Four justices felt that Congress had the right to lower voting age in all elections, but four justices felt the exact opposite. Hugo L. Black then set eighteen as the final age for voting in federal elections. After that, the court decided to let eighteen year olds vote in president and congress elections, and to let the states decide if they wanted to lower the voting age in their own elections. It was the fastest amendment to be ratified in U.S. history. It was ratified in only 107 days. The amendment was ratified in such a short period of time in order to prevent problems that could have occured in the 1972 elections. The 26th amendment stated that all states and federal government were to lower the voting age to 18.

Read by: Fation

The 26th amendment set the voting age at 18 years old. Now in Washington , students are trying to make the voting age to 16 years old. In Washington, Lindsay Holbrook is heart borken. She is 17 years old and she can not vote for the next president. Some of Lindsay's friend want to do something about that. They want to lower the voting from 18 years old to 16 years old. Lindsay is very interested in the politics. But she can not vote because of the voting age. In the year 2000 senoir citizen voted about twice more than 18-24 years old. In some states to get your driver's license you need to 16 years or old. Also in New Hampshire girls can get married at age of 13 only with their family permission. But they won't drop the voting age to 16. In 1971 they change the voting age to 18 years old. States are allowed to make it lower but not any higher.

Read by: Keshav

The 26th amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971. This amendment lowered the voting age to 18. All the thoughts of proposing this amendment started from the Vietnam War. People argued that if 18 year olds were able to participate in military service then they should be able to vote. This amendment was the fastest amendment to be ratified in U.S. history. It only took 107 days to ratify this amendment. The biggest effect that this amendment brought upon the states was the winners of the elections after this amendment was ratified. Especially last years election. Many young voters voted for Barack Obama. About 62% of the young voters voted for Barack Obama and 38% of the other young voters voted for John Mccain. In the past 38 years this amendment has effected the U.S. in many ways and it will definately effect this country in years to come.



Hugo L. Black
Hugo L. Black




Current Events

Read by: Keshav

Article: Obama Again Raises Estimate of Jobs His Stimulus Plan Will Create or Save
Author: Jeff Zeleny and David M. Herszenhorn

The 26th amendment has tremendously effected the presidential election between Barack Obama and John Mccain. About 62% of the young voters voted for Obama and 38% of the young voters voted for Mccain. Eventually Obama won as this current event is brought up. Obama is creating more jobs and new jobs which is helping the U.S. Obama has saved about 3 to 4 million jobs which could have been lost. Obama is saying that his plan will save about 500,000 jobs by making investments in clean energy. This will double the alternative energy over three years and improving the energy efficiancy fo homes. Obama says that by using solar panels and wind turbines will make "made in America jobs" that won't be outcourced . He is also saying that approximately 400,000 jobs could be created by building and enhancing roads schools, and bridges. This current event has been effected by the 26th amendment.

Read by: Juliana

Article: Lowering Voting Age to 16

Lowering the voting age once more was thought of, and talked about for some time. One fourteen year old girl, Rebecca Tilson greatly supported lowering the voting age to 16. She wanted to prove that if sixteen year olds can live in a world and walk in the streets where drugs and violence is everywhere today, then they have the right to vote in order to change everything going on. Rebecca wanted people to know that sixteen year olds are considered adults being able to get their permit, so they are adult enough to know who could be better in serving as president, and working in the government. Also that young adults are capable of knowing enough about politics to know who would be the better candidate for any position. Even though she was only fourteen at the time, (1991), she wanted everyone to know that young children can make a difference in helping to make the country a better place. (http://www.youthrights.org/vote10.php)

Read by: Aimee M

Article: 18-year-olds get the vote:with the vietnam war as a backdrop, the 26th amendment to the constitution towered the voting age from 21

"Old enough to fight, old enough to vote"was one of many catch-phrases of the 1960's. This phrase mostly went on during the 1960's when the Korean war, and World War II was going on. To soliders in these wars, it wasnt about age of the person that voted it was about what they beleived and thought was good! These soldiers fought and fought for there country and most of them were under 21 years of age. The required 3 branches of government approved this amendment in only 107 days! This was because it was a very important amendment to ratify because it didnt only affect some people in the U.S.A, but all of them! This is the most recent amendment ratified and I think the most important! Because of this amendment, Obama got many young voters on his side, and they voted for him and Obama is going to be our new president of the United States of America! ( http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUE/is_1_139/ai_n17215342/print?tag=artBody;c )



Read by: Fation

In Washington, Lindsay and her friends are trying to get the voteing age to 16. 26th . It set the voteing age to 18 years old. Lidsay is trying to make the voteing age to 16 because she and her friends want to vote for the upcoming events. Lidsay is strong enough to walk down street were violence is taking place, but she can vote for any election intill she turns 18 years old. Lidsay can nopt vote in the upcoming election between Obama and McCain. 62% of young voters voted for Obama. 38% of young voter voted for McCain. She wants to prove that young voters can make more right decision than wrong decision. Obama wants to create more jobs for the people. McCain wants to weaken jobs. Lidsay is trying hard to lower the voteing age to 16 not only for her but for the other people who are under age to vote.

To find out more click on this link: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/04/08/loc_votingage09.html