A Little Bit Of History: Minority Voting Rights

On November 6th there is much more at stake then deciding who will be the commander-in-chief for the next four years. It is the moment where the nation decides if they want to move forward, giving themselves a chance to succeed in an unpromised future, or a return to the failing old guard that is corporate neo conservatism. Although most people don’t feel this significance, or refuse to feel they have any power in the matter, the urgency to participate is paramount. To vote is to have a voice, and not using the luxury of having that voice is letting ourselves remain silent in the decision making of our own lives. Voting today, though better than in the past, is still something people must struggle to be involved in. With the passage of voter I.D laws throughout the country, many college students, minorities, impoverished people, and elderly Americans have been roadblocked on the way to expressing their suffrage. The passage of these laws were implemented to stop these groups from voicing their opinions, the latest in a long line of laws aimed to suppress votes. In 1870 African American males were given the right to vote through the passage of the fifteenth amendment, though Jim Crow and other laws of the nature allowed the oppression of that right until finally after a century of struggling, the Voter Rights Act of 1965 gave all Americans their voice. Women of all ethnicities, white included, had to fight for their right as well, until they were finally granted their plea for suffrage in 1920. Though the nation has its problems, America has always been a beacon of hope to those around the world, a place where anyone who worked hard could prosper. Although the country is far from perfect, especially as of late, it still has the potential to be, given the right leadership. When Barack Obama was elected in 2008 the world celebrated. Finally, after one hundred and forty years since the Emancipation Proclamation freed African Americans from slavery, there was a black president. This gave the world hope again that America truly is the land of opportunity. This November 6th there will be an election, and the outcome will dictate the fate of this nation. We at Union will be at the polls, will you?