House Styles The Look of the American Home

The 26th Amendment Voting Age Set at 18 Years

The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution bars the federal government, as well as all state and local governments, from using age as a justification for denying the right to vote to any citizen of the United States who is at least 18 years of age. In addition, the Amendment grants Congress the power to â€Å"enforce† that prohibition through â€Å"appropriate legislation.† The complete text of the 26th Amendment states: Section 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.Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The 26th Amendment was incorporated into the Constitution just three months and eight days after Congress sent it to the states for ratification, thus making it the quickest amendment to be ratified. Today, it stands as one of several laws protecting the right to vote. The 26th Amendment. U.S. National Archives While the 26th Amendment moved forward at light-speed once it was submitted to the states, getting it to that point took nearly 30 years. History of the 26th Amendment During the darkest days of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order lowering the minimum age for the military draft age to 18, despite the fact that the minimum voting age — as set by the states — remained at 21. This discrepancy spurred a nationwide youth voting rights movement mobilized under the slogan â€Å"Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.† In 1943, Georgia became the first state to drop its minimum voting age in state and local elections only from 21 to 18. However, the minimum voting remained at 21 in most states until the 1950s, when WWII hero and President Dwight D. Eisenhower threw his support behind lowering it. â€Å"For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of peril, been summoned to fight for America,† Eisenhower declared in his 1954 State of the Union address. â€Å"They should participate in the political process that produces this fateful summons.† Despite Eisenhower’s support, proposals for a Constitutional amendment setting a standardized national voting age were opposed by the states. Enter the Vietnam War During the late 1960s, demonstrations against America’s long and costly involvement in the Vietnam War began to bring the hypocrisy of drafting 18-year-olds while denying them the right to vote to the attention of Congress.  Indeed, over half of the nearly 41,000 American servicemembers killed in action during the Vietnam War were between 18 and 20 years old. In 1969 alone, at least 60 resolutions to lower the minimum voting age were introduced — but ignored — in Congress. In 1970, Congress finally passed a bill extending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that included a provision lowering the minimum voting age to 18 in all federal, state and local elections. While President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill, he attached a signing statement publicly expressing his opinion that the voting age provision was unconstitutional. â€Å"Although I strongly favor the 18-year-old vote,† Nixon stated, â€Å"I believe — along with most of the Nation’s leading constitutional scholars — that Congress has no power to enact it by simple statute, but rather it requires a constitutional amendment.† Supreme Court Agrees With Nixon Just a year later, in the 1970 case of Oregon v. Mitchell, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Nixon, ruling in a 5-4 decision that Congress had the power to regulate the minimum age in federal elections but not in state and local elections. The Court’s majority opinion, written by Justice Hugo Black, clearly stated that under the Constitution only the states have the right to set voter qualifications. The Court’s ruling meant that while 18- to 20-year-olds would be eligible to vote for president and vice president, they could not vote for state or local officials who were up for election on the ballot at the same time. With so many young men and women being sent to war — but still denied the right to vote — more states began to demand a constitutional amendment establishing a uniform national voting age of 18 in all elections in all states. The time for the 26th Amendment had come at last. Passage and Ratification of the 26th Amendment In Congress — where it rarely does so — progress came swiftly. On March 10, 1971, the U.S. Senate voted 94-0 in favor of the proposed 26th Amendment. On March 23, 1971, the House of Representatives  passed the amendment by a vote of 401-19, and the 26th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification the same day. Just a little more than two months later, on July 1, 1971, the necessary three-fourths (38) of state legislatures had ratified the 26th Amendment. On July 5, 1971, President Nixon, in front of 500 newly eligible young voters, signed the 26th Amendment into law. President Nixon speaks at the 26th Amendment certification ceremony. Richard Nixon Presidential Library â€Å"The reason I believe that your generation, the 11 million new voters, will do so much for America at home is that you will infuse into this nation some idealism, some courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose, that this country always needs,† President Nixon declared. Effect of the 26th Amendment Despite the overwhelming demand and support for the 26th Amendment at the time, its post-adoption effect on voting trends has been mixed. Many political experts expected the newly-franchised young voters to help Democratic challenger George McGovern — a staunch opponent of the Vietnam War — defeat President Nixon in the 1972 election. However, Nixon was overwhelmingly reelected, winning 49 states. In the end, McGovern, from North Dakota, won only the state of Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. After a record high turnout of 55.4% in the 1972 election, the youth vote steadily declined, to drop to a low of 36% in the 1988 presidential election won by Republican George H.W. Bush.  Despite a slight increase in the 1992 election of Democrat Bill Clinton, the voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds  continued to lag far behind that of older voters. Growing fears that young Americans were wasting their hard-fought right for the opportunity to enact change were calmed somewhat when the 2008 presidential election of Democrat Barack Obama, saw a turnout of some 49% of 18- to 24-year-olds, the second-highest in history. In the 2016 election of Republican Donald Trump, the youth vote declined again as the U.S. Census Bureau reported a turnout of 46% among 18- to 29-year-olds.

Essay on Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 2072 Words

Fahrenheit 451 There appears to be some writing on the note ... Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a science fiction novel that discusses and shows the life of a very controlled society. The society is not allowed to read books and is punished for doing so. The books are burned at 451 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature it takes book paper to burn (Bradbury 1). Although society today isnt like that as far as books are concerned, the author still shows some trends that are occurring today. Some of the characters in the novel are similar to people in todays society in the way they act towards societys views. The society in Fahrenheit 451 is similar to the society in Those Who Walk Away From Omelas, a story by Ursula†¦show more content†¦The future society in Fahrenheit 451 is similar and different to the society I have experienced. Although it is not as similar as it is different, its similar because like society today there are laws we are supposed to obey. The government has rules that are set for society to oblige to which is similar to the way the government in the novel made the laws about books. Also, like the rebels in the novel (Clarisse, Montag, the older lady, and Faber), there are people in todays society that go against the laws and rebel. Going against the matrix in this story is not too common because of the harsh punishments the people have to face, especially when they have to witness their own books and houses being burned. Another similar characteristic is that the people in the novel as well as the people today rush through life and dont cherish the little things. In the novel, Clarisse shows this to Montag by telling him about the littlest things, from the moon to the grass (8-9). Montag never realized any of the things that Clarisse tells him because he never took the time to think about anything else besides burning and destroying the books. This is the same with the society today because we take little things for granted and under appreciate the small things, such as the stars or even the sunrise because we are just too overwhelmed with our lives The society today is also a lot different from the society in the novel. For example,Show MoreRelatedFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury719 Words   |  3 PagesThe flash point of paper, or the temperature at which paper will burst in flames, is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. In Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, is a â€Å"fireman† in a futuristic society where he and his coworkers start fires, rather than put them out. Books are banned and burned, along with the owner of the book’s house and sometimes even the owner of the book, upon discovery. Technology has taken over in a sense that social interaction between the average personRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1952 Words   |  8 Pagesis clearly displayed in the plight of Ray Bradbury’s novel about a dystopian American society, Fahrenheit 451, which contains many ideas and bits of content that some people belie ved should be censored. In fact, one of the reasons that this novel was censored for displaying the dangers of censorship, which is both extremely ironic, and telling as to where this society is going. Thanks to several distributors and oversensitive parents and teachers, Fahrenheit 451 has been banned in many schools overRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury954 Words   |  4 Pages In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the author uses allegory (often misinterpreted by readers) to show the dangers of mass media consumption and the decline of reading traditional media. Many readers draw incorrect conclusions (lessons learned) from the book due to how generally the book applies its theme. Government censorship, though an important topic, is not the intended focus of the novel Fahrenheit 451. Finally, Bradbury’s original message of the book shows the beauty of traditional media andRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1592 Words   |  7 PagesWhen writing the introduction to Fahrenheit 451, author Neil Gaiman stated that â€Å"ideas--written ideas--are special. They are the way we transmit our stories and our thoughts from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history†. Gaiman is absolutely correct; especially because what he is saying heavily applies to books. Books are a critical aspect in shaping humanity as a whole, they create and share a network of creative ideas, history, and overall entertainment; to loseRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1661 Words   |  7 Pages1.) In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag’s view on life reverses. Two characters the influence the main character Guy Montag are the old lady whose house and books were burnt down and Mildred. The old lady was caught preserving books in her home. Firemen including Montag were ordered to burn the books. The old lady refused to leave her books, so she too was burned. She bravely gave an allusion as her last words, â₠¬Å"Play the man,’ she said, ‘Master Ridley.’ Something, somethingRead MoreFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury818 Words   |  4 PagesFAHRENHEIT 451 BY RAY BRADBURY Important People in Montag’s Life In Partical Fulfillment Of English 2 Ms Irina Abramov By Helen Hernandez November 9, 2012 â€Å"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them† -Ray Bradbury. In the past there were events that affected book writers. People will get together to burn books because they thought it was inappropriate or they were against their literature. Montag is a fireman in a futuristic society who would startRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury918 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Fahrenheit 451,† written by Ray Bradbury, is a futuristic, dystopian novel based upon a society secluded by technology and ignorance. In this future society, books are outlawed and firemen are presented with the task of burning books that are found in people’s homes. Montag, a fireman, finds himself intrigued with the books, and begins to take them home and read them. As the story progresses, Montag learns the truth behind why books are outlawed and flees his city to join the last remnants of age-oldRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury863 Words   |  4 PagesTh e novel, Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury and it took place in the dystopian future. Throughout each novel, we are able to see a major theme, which is censorship. In this essay, I will explain how this theme are explored in the story by using the literary devices. To begin with, in this novel, censorship is not given a straight description, but we can see how the author shows it through many literary elements, such as using the setting, tone and symbolisms even foreshadowing. This novelRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury943 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel Fahrenheit 451, written in 1951 by Ray Bradbury. There are many similarities between the novel and contemporary society, including technology, family lifestyle and censorship. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury’s main focus was on technology, such as televisions. Televisions were a big deal back in 1950, individuals were thrilled to get their hands on the new device. When it comes to Mildred, Montag s wife in Fahrenheit 451 novel. Mildred was so obsessed with televisions. She had three differentRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1592 Words   |  7 PagesWhen writing the introduction to Fahrenheit 451, author Neil Gaiman stated that â€Å"ideas--written ideas--are special. They are the way we transmit our stories and our thoughts from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history†. Gaiman is absolutely correct; especially because what he is saying heavily applies to books. Books are a critical aspect in shaping humanity as a whole, they create and share a network of creative ideas, history, and overall entertainment; to lose

Eisenhower vs. Truman free essay sample

Truman worked at his father’s farm until he joined the military to participate in World War I. He was a member of the National Guard, so he was a commander of a Field Artillery unit in France. When he returned, he opened a hat shop which actually didn’t have any success. He then became the head judge of the county of Jackson, Missouri. After that, he served as a Democratic Senator of Missouri. Finally, in 1945 he became vice president. Truman became president after Franklin Roosevelt’s death. He won the elections of 1948, with 49% of the popular votes. At first, people didn’t really trust him but they then began to accept him. After his first term, he decided to retire from his position but he still remained active in supporting Democratic candidates for the presidency. He died from Pneumonia on December 26, 1972. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. His parents were David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover. He grew up in a poor family of 8 members including him. Since he was young he had had worked to get money for his studies and for his family. He still went to local public schools and high schools. When was going to enter to college, he decided to join the military to be able to get a free college education. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and then he began to attend to the Army War College. In 1916, Eisenhower met Mamie Geneva Doud and he proposed to her on Valentine’s Day of that year. They had two children, one of them died of scarlet fever at the age of three. Their other son was called John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower. During World War I, Eisenhower was training to be the commander and instructor of a training center for other soldiers. When World War II started, he became a chief and then a major general. Later, he became the commander of allied forces. With all his performance in his military career, he was made a five-star general. Eisenhower was elected to run on the Republican ticket with Richard Nixon as his Vice President against Adlai Stevenson. 55% of people voted for â€Å"Ike†, Eisenhower’s nickname, which made him to won the elections. After he retired after his second term, he moved to Gettysburg to take care of his health and to write his autobiography. He died from a congestive heart failure on March 28, 1969. POLICIES The Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy of the United States that tried to give assistance to any country who was threatened by communism. The initial movement of the Truman Doctrine was to give $400 million to assist Greece and Turkey. The money was given to them to have military aid and economic assistance. Truman stated: â€Å"It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. † Speech to Congress, March 12, 1947, laying out what became the Truman Doctrine The Fair Deal was a domestic program made by Harry Truman. The Fair Deal, guaranteed economic opportunities and social stability. His first priority was to make a time of peace on the economy of United States. That is why he created a 21-point program that provided protection against unfair employment practices, a higher minimum wage, a greater housing assistance and unemployment compensation. And also he added health insurance to his program. On the other hand, Eisenhower’s New Look policy addressed the idea of using nuclear weapons and new technology rather than normal bombs and groups of soldiers in an effort to stabilized defense spending. His new look policy will help him to contain the Soviet Union and even win back territory that had been already lost. The main strategies of the New Look were to maintain stability to the U. S. economy while they were getting prepared for the Cold War. Also, the United States was willing to use their nuclear weapons if it was necessary to stop Communism aggression. They were using the Central Intelligence Agency to make covert missions against the soviets and to get infiltrated in their society. The last strategy was to continue making alliances and strengthening the ones that they already had. Eisenhower didn’t want to be seemed as a threat by the rest of the countries of the world, that is why he stopped the development of arm forces. He didn’t wanted that the other countries of the world think that United States was preparing weapons to be ready for the war because in that way they will think that he wanted to participate at the war and not trying to put an end to the war. The Eisenhower Doctrine was similar to the Truman Doctrine stated that the United States will provide military and economic assistance to Middle Eastern countries in resisting communist aggression. This doctrine was made to stop the involvement and influence from the Soviets in the Middle East. Eisenhower was willing to help any Middle Eastern country who asked for help against the Soviets. The Eisenhower Doctrine formed part of his containment policy too, as well as the New Look policy. All of them are related in some way. The main differences from Eisenhower and Truman are that Eisenhower was more concentrated in democracy. Containment was important for Eisenhower but it was not everything while Truman really wanted to put away communist people from the United States. ACOMPLISHMENTS President Truman helped in the process of putting an end to World War II by taking the decision of using an atomic bomb on Japan. He used the bomb to give a message to the Soviet Union that the United States was not afraid of using nuclear weapons if it was necessary. Also he wanted to find a quicker way to stop the war without losing troops. Truman also worked on the containment issue. He worked really hard to stop communism in the United States and also not letting communists to be in the United States as well. He also supported the creation of the United Nations in order to avoid future world ward and to help solving conflicts peacefully. Another of his accomplishments was to create the Truman Doctrine that helped countries from Europe to be able to resist communist intervention. Eisenhower solved the problem of 1957 at Little Rock Central High School. Nine black students went to that school as an experiment of what could happen if black and white people went to the same schools. When the students arrived to the school, they found a lot of people out of it protesting against the idea of black and white students in the same schools. The people, who were protesting, were also threatening the black students. Eisenhower had to intervene in that issue; he took control over the situation and calmed the mass of people. Then, he led the black students to enter to the school. He also helped to bring an end to the Korean War by convincing them to sign an armistice agreement. Eisenhower told to the Communists that he will have no mercy with the weapons that he will use against them and also that it can exist thee possibility of the use of nuclear weapons. Eisenhower helped to manage Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union. He kept the calm in the United States and never led anything to create hysteria in the United States. Eisenhower used the resources available to him and never looked for war. He authorized many operations by the CIA against the communist people. I think that both presidents had good and bad decisions. Also the period of time in which they were presidents was different and the decisions that they made were about different issues. Truman looked for a peace time in the United States. To achieve his goal he had to make difficult but effective decisions. He decided to drop a bomb in Japan to show to everybody that United States knew how to defend itself. Also he helped many countries with their fight against communism. He also sought for United States’ people welfare by helping them to have jobs and more opportunities as well as commodities. On the other hand, Eisenhower was a president that looked for the United States welfare and he tried to loose anyone in a fight. He always looked for a peaceful solution but when he had no choice he knew how to manage severe situations. BIBLIGRAPHY Sage, Henry J. (January 5, 2012). America and the Cold War: The Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy Years. Retrieved fromhttp://www. academicamerican. com/postww2/coldwar. html Kelly, Martin, (February 23, 2009). Dwight D. Eisenhower Thirty-Fourth President of the United States. Retrieved fromhttp://americanhistory. about. com / od/dwightdeisenhower/p/peisenhower. htm Kelly, Martin, (April 19,2009). Harry S Truman Thirty-Third President of the Unit ed States. Retrieved fromhttp://americanhistory. about. com/od/harrystruman / p/ptruman. htm University of Virginia, (March 8, 2006). American President A Reference Resource. Retrieved fromhttp://millercenter. org/president/eisenhower/essays/ biography/5 Encyclop? dia Britannica, (May 9, 2012). Eisenhower Doctrine. Retrieved fromhttp://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/181513/Eisenhower-Doctrine Spark Notes, (2012). Eisenhower and the Cold War: 1954–1960. Retrieved from http://www. sparknotes. com/history/american/coldwar/section6. rhtml U. S. Department of State,(unknown). The Fair Deal. Retrieved from http://countrystudies. us/united-states/history-115. htm