Transcript Brainstorm Worksheet

WHY WE VOTE the
way we do-Using
Primary Source
Documents to
Investigate the History
of Voting Rights.
STATUS OF NINE APPROVED AMENDMENTS
Nine constitutional amendments were approved for
the November ballot. But six face lawsuits. Here are
the measures and where they stand:
AMENDMENT 1 Repeal of Florida’s public campaign financing system. Has not been challenged.
AMENDMENT 2 Additional homestead exemption for military personnel deployed outside of the United States. Has not been challenged.
AMENDMENT 3 Lowers annual assessment rate for non-homestead property from 10 percent to 5 percent. Offers additional tax break to first
time homebuyers. First-time homebuyers would be eligible to have 25 percent - or up to $100,000 - of the value of their home shielded
from taxes. The tax break would be gradually lowered over a five year period. A Leon County Circuit Judge ruled Friday that the amendment
was misleading. Case has been appealed to higher court. The Supreme Court heard arguments for Amendments 3 on August 18.
AMENDMENT 4 Hometown Democracy amendment would subject changes to local comprehensive plans to referendums. Has not been
challenged.
AMENDMENT 5 FairDistrictsFlorida.org redistricting amendment would require legislative districts to be compact and not drawn to favor any
incumbent or member of a political party. The Florida Legislature has asked a court to throw the amendment off the ballot. A Leon County
judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit, but that decision has been appealed to the Florida Supreme Court and they have not scheduled date
to hear arguments as of yet.
AMENDMENT 6 FairDistrictsFlorida.org redistricting amendment would require Congressional districts to be compact and not drawn to favor
any incumbent or member of a political party. U.S Reps. Corrine Brown and Mario Diaz-Balart sued to block the amendment and the
lawsuit was joined by the Florida Legislature and now also includes Amendment 5 as well. A Leon County judge refused to dismiss the
lawsuit, but that decision has been appealed to the Florida Supreme Court and they have not scheduled date to hear arguments as of yet.
AMENDMENT 7 Sets standards for Legislature to follow while drawing Congressional and legislative districts, including allowing the creation of
'communities of common interest.' A Leon County judge ruled that the amendment was misleading and threw the measure off the ballot.
The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to take up the appeal of the ruling. The Supreme Court heard arguments for Amendments 7 on
August 18.
AMENDMENT 8 Freezes class size restrictions at current levels, although it allows individual classes to go up slightly above current limits. The
Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit recently asking that the amendment be removed from the ballot.
AMENDMENT 9 Seeks to nullify federal requirements for citizens to buy health insurance. The Republican-controlled Legislature offered the
proposal in response to passage of President Barack Obama’s national health care overhaul. Four Florida voters filed suit against the
amendment on grounds its ballot language is misleading. A circuit court judge heard it and the Supreme Court heard arguments Aug 18.
DBQ- Think about our forefathers and what they intended their new
Republic to be. How did our forefathers envision voting rights in America
and where do you feel these rights are today?
Howard Christy's 1940 painting of the signing
of the Constitution.
Vocabulary Words
Florida's Sunshine State BenchmarkSS.5.C.2.3: Analyze how the
Constitution has expanded
voting rights from our nation's
early history to today.
SS.8.C.1.6: Evaluate how
amendments to the Constitution
have expanded voting rights
from our nation's early history
to present day.
SS.912.C.2.9: Identify the expansion
of civil rights and liberties by
examining the principles
contained in primary
documents.
SS.912.A.2.4 Distinguish
the freedoms guaranteed
to African Americans and other
groups with the 13, 14, 15
Amendments to the
Constitution.
SS.912.A.3.11 Analyze the impact of
political machines in the United
States cities in the late 19th and
20th centuries.
SS.912.A.3.13 Examine key events
and peoples in Florida history as
they relate to the United States
history.
WorksheetHow to Analyze
a Primary
Source
Document
Question- What is Democracy?
Click on picture to see video.
Question- What
does “We the
People” mean?
Voting Amendments
Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote. Ratified 2/3/1870.
1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or by
any State on account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude.
2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
Amendment 19 - Women's Suffrage. Ratified 8/18/1920.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any
State on account of sex. Congress shall have power
to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years. (Ratified
7/1/1971) 1. The right of citizens of the United
States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to
vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of age. 2. The
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am14
U.S. Constitutional Scavenger Hunt - This
activity will help participants become
familiar with the U.S. Constitution.
Answer Key for the U.S. Constitutional
Scavenger Hunt is provided!
Question- What are the reasons people vote?
George Caleb Bingham’s The County Election, 1851–52
Click here to hear Illinois
Teaching American History
Grant Teachers discuss some of
the methods to encourage
people to vote in the early
republic
Question- Who was
disenfranchised in
our early Republic?
Click here to learn
about The Dred Scott
Decision and its Bitter
Legacy
Political Cartoon
Worksheet
Question- Why did women want to vote?
Click Here--The Trial of
Susan B. Anthony
1873
QUOTE- “Carrie Chapman Catt (1920) summed it up. ‘Since the 1848
Seneca Falls call for the vote, she counted: 480 campaigns in state
legislatures; 56 statewide referenda to male voters; 47 attempts to
add suffrage planks during revisions of state constitutions; 277
campaigns at state party conventions and 30 at national conventions;
and 19 biannual campaigns in 19 different Congresses.’ Literally
thousands of times, men cast their votes on whether or not women
should vote. Literally millions of women and men gave their entire
lives to the cause and went to their graves with freedom unwon. No
peaceful political change ever has required so much from so many for
so long. None but a mighty army could have won.”
Doris Weatherford, A history of the American Suffragist Movement
1998
Question-What does Florida’s voting
history look like?
With 27 electoral votes, Florida has often helped decide the
winner of presidential elections. This impact is shown in our
voting history. Florida became a state in 1845 and its citizens
helped Whig candidate Zachary Taylor win the presidential
election of 1848. In 1864 Florida refused to participate in the
presidential election when it seceded from the Union during the
Civil War. Democrats were the majority until the mid 20th century
when in 1952 Florida become mostly Republican. The state’s
population has grown at rapid speed and it is possible that in
2012 Florida could gain two more electoral votes bringing the
total to 29. Florida today has more registered Republicans than
Democrats but it is still seen as a swing state. This could be seen
in our 2000 election when Democratic candidate Al Gore received
266 electoral votes and Bush received 271 electoral
votes. However, the popular vote was in Gores favor. In 2008,
Florida swung again when Barack Obama won the state by a 51%
to 48% margin. Florida will continue to influence voting history in
America.
Reference: http://www.270towin.com/states/Florida
Click Here—Voting
Irregularities in Florida
During the 2000
Presidential Election
Question- How has voting changed
over time?
Some Voting History of Florida….
1860 Florida’s voting population is 14,374 which is very important because more than 16,000
Floridians serve during the Civil War.
1865 The Constitutional Convention of 1865 meets and terminates the Ordinance of Secession
and decrees the end of slavery; however, the right to vote is restricted to "free" white
male persons 21 years old or older.
1868 The Constitutional Convention of 1868 proposes a new Constitution that the voters
approve in May. It grants equal suffrage to all races.
1876 Florida's electoral votes give the U.S. Presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes amongst charges
of election fraud.
1937 The Poll Tax is abolished as a prerequisite to voting.
1963. Voters amend the Constitution to authorize sale of state bonds to construct buildings at
universities, colleges and vocational schools. Voters also approve issuance of bonds to
purchase land for conservation purposes and the election of governor and the cabinet is
shifted to off-year from Presidential election.
1966 The 36th governor of Florida is elected, Claude R. Kirk, Jr. is the first Republican governor
since Reconstruction. GOP nominees are elected to Florida’s 12 seats in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Voters also approve that Congress meet on the Tuesday following the
November general elections.
1968 Voters ratify three amendments that give the state practically a new Constitution. The
first Republican ever elected by popular ballot is sent to the U.S. Senate.
1976 Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter wins Florida's Presidential Preference Primary,
giving Carter's campaign a lead in his party's nomination for president. In the same
primary, Florida Republicans favor Gerald Ford more than Ronald Reagan. Carter acquires
51.93%of Florida's general election vote.
32nd Biennial Edition 2009-2010 Florida Handbook
Question- What does Voting in the
United States look like today?
DBQ- Think about our forefathers and what they intended
their new Republic to be. How did our forefathers envision
voting rights in America and where do you feel these rights
are today?
Brainstorm what our
forefathers might say
about voting today.
FCAT Practice
Campaign Poster
Quizzes Online
Newspaper Activities
Fun Stuff
Click Here
Brainstorm Worksheet