Why Vote?

            Voting is one of the most valued possessions many Americans are given and yet do not use. In that statement it may seem like an oxymoron, a possession that is not actually used and yet so highly valued. In America today we are privileged enough to see history made in many different arenas and yet we stand back and do not take part. To understand the importance of voting it might be easier to understand the suffering that went into allowing all Americans to vote equally. In addition, it is understandable to be confused with all the laws and political terms thrown around, but those too are also easy to understand if you know where to look. And finally, it is important for all Americans to step back and see what is happening to our way of life and decide if we are happen with it. Voting is a privilege that many people conceder a tight, and yet so many are unable to even accomplish this much, any able body should take advantage of this and follow through with democracy.
             When the United States was formed, it was done so on a platform that stated, "All men are created equal," and yet simultaneously not all were treated fairly in determining how the country would be ran. At first you had to be a male, white and almost always a landowner. Women and minorities had to fight hard to win their right to vote. For instance, African-Americans waited a long painful trial to vote. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution with intent to give black males the right to vote. Almost simultaneously, states enacted laws that made it almost impossible to vote. Such laws included Poll Taxes, Literacy Test and Grandfather Clauses. Although this Amendment was passed in 1870, African-Americans could not freely enjoy this right until the mid 1960's, almost 100 years later. Many say although the Civil Rights Movement was started with segregation, it ended with The Voting Rights Act of 1965. In short, what should be seen is that for almost 100 years Americans fought for their right to vote.