voting

voting

Celebrating the Constitution and Your Right to Vote

Celebrating the Constitution and Your Right to Vote

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September 17, 1787 – Thirty-nine of our founding fathers, delegates of the Constitutional Convention, signed and put into effect the United States Constitution. The Constitution outlines the “checks and balances” of our three branches of government: Judicial, Executive, and Legislative. That was 233 years ago, and we continue to celebrate that achievement with Constitution Day on September 17, 2020. The celebration first started in 1940, as the “I Am an American Day,” based on a resolution passed by Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was observed on the third Sunday in May. In 1952, the name was changed to “Constitution Day” and moved to September 17th, to reflect the date it was originally signed back in 1787. In 2004, … Continued
Your vote counts! Then and Now: a brief timeline of women’s suffrage

Your vote counts! Then and Now: a brief timeline of women’s suffrage

, , Research
On August 26, 1920, women in the U.S. secured the right to vote.  It was a victory 80 years in the making, opening voting rights on a national level to all women for the first time.  While the Constitution first extended voting privileges, it did so only for property-owning men.  Eventually, all men were allowed to vote, via a patchwork of state laws and the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote.  But women were continuously denied the same privileges, under charges such as “wom(e)n would run into excesses”  or that they would abandon their “proper place” as homemakers, wives and mothers.  The fight for suffrage began in 1840, when abolitionists Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, … Continued
Why voting matters

Why voting matters

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While the right to vote has been part of the US Constitution since the founding of this country. it was originally limited to white male landowners – a wealthy elite in many cases.  The right to vote, considered a cornerstone in the popular conception of democracy, is a hard-won right earned through centuries of war, civic strife, protest and direct petitioning.  In honor of the struggles of those who have come before, and to preserve the liberties that this nation holds dear, it is worth understanding what voting means and why voting is such an important act. The first amendment to the Constitution related to voting came in 1870, almost 100 years from the date of its ratification.  The 15th … Continued
It’s Not too Late!

It’s Not too Late!

Ann Tobin 0 Comments
It’s not too late to be an informed voter! And, if you are reading this after 6:00 p.m. on November 6, you will be plenty early for the next election!   Why do I vote? Even if people tell me that my vote doesn’t really matter, I know that my voting does. I vote, primarily, because my parents always exercised this right, staying abreast of local and national issues by reading newspapers and news magazines, and discussing political issues in family conversations. As a parent, I try to continue these civic-minded practices. Secondly, I learned at a fairly young age, that many other countries did not have democratic forms of government or the right to free speech. I also learned … Continued
Why should YOU care?

Why should YOU care?

, Library Resources, Mandi Moning 0 Comments
Why should you join the American Democracy Project and IU East in celebrating Constitution Week? During this time in a presidential election year, we are bombarded with ads on the television and radio, and endless talking heads with conflicting perspectives on the news. It can be difficult and time-consuming to follow the issues. One can feel so overwhelmed with everyday life that voting does not make it onto a list of priorities. Yet voting truly does have a direct effect on our everyday lives. The politicians you vote into office make decisions about your taxes, your health benefits, your schooling, transportation…virtually every aspect of your life is touched by the decision-makers that you elect. Understanding the tumultuous history of voting … Continued