Describe voter eligibility at the time the Constitution was adopted and assess how democratic this new government was. Describe the amendments to the U.S
Constitution that have made the United States more democratic and that are not part of the Bill of Rights.
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1) Explain that the states determine voter eligibility.
2) Describe the franchise at the time the Constitution was ratified as being restricted to white, male landowners.
3) Explain how five post-BillofRights amendments have expanded suffrage, thereby making the United States more democratic.Specifically, the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) prohibited race-based voter discrimination, the Nineteenth Amendment (1920) guaranteed women the right to vote, the Twenty-third Amendment (1961) expanded the right to vote in presidential elections to the residents of the District of Columbia, the Twenty-fourth Amendment expanded the franchise to the poor by eliminating poll taxes, and the Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18 .
4) Note that the Seventeenth Amendment also made the United States more democratic by allowing for the direct election of U.S. senators.
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a. true b. false