A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO VOTE

 

AMENDMENT 14

        All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.  No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Amendment 19

Clause 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 because of sex.

Clause 2.  Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

 

INTRODUCTION

We will be researching the issue of a woman’s right to vote as it relates to the Nineteenth Amendment.    We will review the case of Minor v. Happersett as an example of how the government decides what is fair and right for its citizens. 

 

The complete Fourteenth Amendment and Nineteenth Amendment are printed above.  At first glance, the Fourteenth Amendment seems to grant all rights of citizenship to all citizens.  However, as you will find out, Susan B. Anthony lost her case that she based on the Fourteenth Amendment; and it was not until fourteen years after her death that women were granted the right to vote through the Nineteenth Amendment.

 

Task

Your task will be to work as a group and review the events leading up to the case as well as review the case.  You will review the woman’s suffrage movement and in a well-written position paper, be able to explain the meaning of the Nineteenth Amendment.  You and your group will choose a position and present your position to the entire class.  Do you agree with the court’s decision and analysis of the case?  On the other hand, do you think that the court’s analysis and decisions were flawed?  Why was the Nineteenth Amendment necessary?  You must defend your position by answering questions from the audience. 

 

Here are some questions to consider about the role of government and a woman’s right to vote.

1.       Does the government have the right to limit a citizen’s right regarding participation in government based on the sex of that citizen?

2.         How far should equality for women go?  Is there anything that a woman should not be allowed to do?  Consider including this point in your debate.

 

Background Work

Understanding Specialized Vocabulary

Legal Term                                      Definition

Convene a grand jury

Draw up a bill of indictment

Set bail

Post a bond

Naturalized

Abridge

Immunities

Due process of law

Equal protection of the law

 

INTERNET RESOURCES

The following will help you gather the information necessary for your research.

http://www.nara.gov/alic/

The text of the constitution can be found at the following URL:

http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm

Find Law

http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html

Historic Supreme Court Cases

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html

 

 

Organization

A.      This is a Team project

1.      You will be placed in groups of 4 or 5 individuals

2.      Your organization should be as follows:

a.      Facilitator = responsible for setting up the team’s space

b.      Secretary = responsible for maintaining all team paper work including attendance

c.      Team Leader = coordinates the days work with the teacher and team members

d.      Alternate Team Leader = substitutes for any of the above in case of absence.

3.      Responsibilities

a.      Using the Internet your group will conduct a search of the steps leading up to the case.

b.      All team members will take an active role in the Quest and all will receive a Team Grade as well as an Individual grade.

 

 

EVALUATION

Each student will be responsible for writing a 300 to 500-word essay taking a position on the case and the Nineteenth Amendment.  The due date for this part of the evaluation is ___________________.

 

Each Team/group will present their Team Position to the entire class.  The class will have an opportunity to ask questions of the team presenting.

 

Your grade will be based on the following:

1.      Team participation = 25% 

2.      Essay = 40%

3.      Team Presentation = 25%

4.      Attendance = 10%

Total          ______________________

                            100%

 

Linking History to Literature

Aim:  to understand and appreciate a biographical essay that explores one woman’s struggle to win the right to vote.

 

Motivation:  In a few years you will be old enough to vote in city, state and national elections.  We all take this right for granted.  As you now know from doing your web quest project, for almost a hundred years after the United States won its independence, only white males had suffrage – the right to vote.  In 1873, Susan B. Anthony attempted to force the courts to recognize that the language of the 14th amendment could not exclude women from its guaranteed rights.  Even though Ms. Anthony lost the case, this case set in motion the steps that led ultimately to the Nineteenth Amendment.  That amendment gave women the right to vote.  Let’s read a biographical sketch of the time and the woman involved in this case.

“The United States vs. Susan B. Anthony”

by Margaret Truman

II.             Biography

A.      a factual account of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject.

III.         Point of View

A.      the perspective from which events in a story or novel are told

1.      First person Point of view

a.      the narrator uses the pronouns I and me

b.      narrator is usually a character in the narrative

2.      Third person Point of View

a.      narrator uses the pronouns he, she and they

b.      narrator is usually outside the narrative

Discussion:

1.      What prompted Anthony to register to vote?

2.      What was the legal justification for trying to vote?

3.      Why was Anthony so insistent that the marshal arrests her properly?

4.      Why do you think Anthony refuses to post a bond?

5.      Why does District Attorney Crowley not want Anthony to testify?

6.      What do you think was wrong about the trial?  Consider:

·       What does the 14th Amendment say

·       What does the Sixth Amendment say

·       How was the verdict decided

·       How was Anthony treated in the courtroom

 

Critical Thinking:

                        7.  Give me your opinions on the directed verdict of guilty.  You have perused the constitution while doing your research, can you provide specific reasons based on your understanding of constitutional rights.

                        8.  From which point of view is this story told?

                       

HOMEWORK:  what did you think of the way Susan B. Anthony behaved before, during and after her trial?  Make a list of words and phrases that describe her behavior.  In other words, characterize Susan B. Anthony.