Voting Rights Act: Historical Context

Starter 9 (10 min)
To what extent do you agree with the following quotes?  Write a substantive paragraph explaining your view.

"A democratic system rests ultimately on the belief that each man is the best judge of his own interests and that he should have, through the ballot box, a voice in choosing those who govern him.”

"Voting is the fundamental political right of citizens in a democracy. The right to vote is the right to influence officials and policy. To be denied the vote is to be denied the guarantee that one's interest will be taken into account when policy is made. There is no justifiable test of property, race, color, national origin, religion, or education for disenfranchising one class of citizens." --Evron M. Kirkpatrick Member, President's Commission on Registration and Voting Participation


Intro: We are launching into a case study on Voting Rights with specific focus on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in order to better understand how the three branches of government apply to a piece of legislation.  Today, we’re going to learn about the historical context that led to the VRA of 1965!  Yeeeeeeehaw for eradicating historical amnesia and becoming an informed populace!

Alabama Literacy Test

1. In groups of 3-4 take the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test to determine if you could vote back then
2. How’d you do? Check the answers
3. Class discussion or 4 Corners (10):  
   1. What was it like to take that quiz?
   2. Do you think it is a legitimate way to determine if one is fit to vote?
   3. SHOULD there be some sort of bar that citizens must clear in order to prove themselves informed enough to vote?

Background Knowledge: Jim Crow and Civil Rights

1. Jim Crow who? Jim Crow what?  Respond to the following  image as a group by discussing as many of the following questions as you can.  Jot down some notes as you discuss:
   1. What do you know about it?
   2. What do you think it references?
   3. What time period does it come from?
   4. What is the background on it?
   5. What were the implications socially/legally?

1. Brainstorm:  What do you know about Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement?   As a group, list as many things as you can.  This could include dates, events, main ideas, key figures/leaders, important Supreme Court Cases and legislation.
2. Origin of the term, “Jim Crow”
   1. First, read the Wikipedia definition:
      1. Wikipedia definition: "Jump Jim Crow" is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white comedian Thomas Dartmouth (T.D.) "Daddy" Rice. The number was supposedly inspired by the song and dance of a physically disabled African slave named Jim Cuff or Jim Crow, who is variously claimed to have resided in St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh.  The song became a great 19th century hit and Rice performed all over the country as "Daddy Jim Crow".
      2. "Jump Jim Crow" was a key initial step in a tradition of popular music in the United States that was based on the "imitation" of Blacks. The first song sheet edition appeared in the early 1830s, published by E. Riley. A couple of decades would see the mockery genre explode in popularity with the rise of the minstrel show.
      3. As a result of Rice's fame, the term Jim Crow had become a pejorative meaning African American by 1838  and from this the laws of racial segregation became known as Jim Crow laws.
   2. Then we’ll check out the song lyrics here and a short video clip of a blackface performance from 1941
3. Jim Crow and Voting Discrimination Research and Response
   1. Read the following documents Jim Crow laws + Jim Crow Era Timeline
   2. Explore this website to learn more about the ways in which Jim Crow laws manifested in voting discrimination. [Keep clicking through “try to vote” or “yes”] and then answer these questions:
      1. What surprised you from the readings and the website? What stood out to  you as particularly noteworthy?
      2. What was the “Grandfather Clause”?
      3. What were the various obstacles that black folks faced in order to vote?
      4. To what extent do you think voting discrimination happens today?

HOMEWORK
If you didn’t finish the Jim Crow Research and Response in class, finish it for homework.  We will start class with this on Monday.