We the People
Unit 3: How has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence?
How has the Right to Vote been expanded since the Adoption of the Constitution?
Directions: After reading Lesson 20, & Chapter 13 in the AP Government book complete the following prompts. You may
type right on to this document or complete on separate piece of paper.
1. How did the following pieces of legislation expand voting rights?
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
17th Amendment
19th Amendment
23rd Amendment
24th Amendment
26th Amendment
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Snyder Act of 1924
2. Define the following:
Primary Election -
Caucus -
Closed Primary -
Open Primary -
Blanket Primary -
General Election –
What are single-member plurality elections?
3. WDYT p.136
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4. What was Thomas Paine’s position on the property requirement of voting?
5. What was role the role of Congress in extending the right to vote to Native Americans?
6. What criteria, if any, should be used for denying a citizen the right to vote?
7. After reading Chapter 13 answer the following questions:
a. What three factors do the authors list for voters to be engage in prospective voting?
b. What was the idea behind creating initiative, referendum, & recall? How do these three processes work?
c. Be able to explain the history behind the National Convention and what important part it plays in our current
election system? What are the differences between a primary and a caucus?
d. What are the advantages of being a Congressional incumbent? Why? What political problems arise within states
when voting for Congressional representation?
e. What impact do Midterm elections have on national politics?
f. How do demographics play an important part in voter turnouts?
g. What suggestions have been made to improve voter turnouts? What reforms have been made?