SS.7.C.3.7
Analyze the impact of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments
on participation of minority groups in the American political process.
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SS.7.C.3.7 Benchmark Clarification 4: Students will recognize how the amendments were
developed to address previous civil rights violations.

Even though the 15th Amendment was supposed to allow all races to vote, some states did
everything they could to prevent minorities from voting.

Many Americans saw that this was unfair, and several laws were passed during the 1960s to
protect the civil rights of minority groups, including African-Americans and Hispanics. The
Civil Rights Act of 1964 said employers could not discriminate based on race or gender.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made racial discrimination illegal in voting laws. This act
specifically banned the use of “literacy” tests to decide whether someone could register to
vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned discrimination based on race or gender in the
selling or renting of housing.

Even though the 19th Amendment guarantees that voters cannot be discriminated against
based on their gender, there was a push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the
1970s and 1980s. This amendment would prohibit all discrimination based on gender. The
amendment was introduced in Congress in the 1920s and ratified by Congress in the 1970s,
but to this day it has never been ratified by enough states to be added to the U.S.
Constitution.

civil rights - the basic rights of citizens to be free from unequal treatment based on certain characteristics (e.g., race,
gender, disability)
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - a federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, or
national origin
Civil Rights Act of 1968 - a federal law that prohibits discrimination related to the sale, rental, and financing of housing
based on race, religion, national origin, or sex
discriminate - to treat a person or group unfairly based on their race, religion, gender, disability, or other reasons
Equal Rights Amendment - a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing discrimination based on sex
gender - the state of being male or female
literacy test - a written test used to decide whether or not someone was eligible to register vote
prohibit - to forbid or to not allow something
ratify - to confirm by expressing consent; formally approve
Voting Rights Act of 1965 - a federal law that banned race discrimination in voting practices by federal, state, and local
governments

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