More groups win legal rights: women, farmworkers, Native nations, people with disabilities

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971. Table "Young adults who reported voting in presidential elections", columns Year | Voting-age population, 18 to 24 (thousands) | Percent who reported voting. Row 1: 1964 | 9,919 | 50.9. Row 2: 1968 | 11,602 | 50.4. Row 3: 1972 | 24,612 | 49.6. Row 4: 1976 | 26,953 | 42.2. Before 1972 the group is ages 21 to 24 (18 to 24 in Georgia and Kentucky, 19 to 24 in Alaska, 20 to 24 in Hawaii). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, table A-1.

2. 1.

   Card B says the voting age was lowered to 18. The table shows 50.4 percent voting in 1968 and 49.6 in 1972. Is it fair to say the rate stayed level, Ari asks?

   • Yes, because a drop of 0.8 point is within the error of an estimate, so the rate stayed level
   • Not quite: the 1968 row counts ages 21 to 24 and the 1972 row ages 18 to 24, so the groups differ
   • Not quite: the 1968 row counts ages 18 to 24 and the 1972 row ages 21 to 24, so the groups differ
   • Yes, because both rows report presidential election years, and turnout in such years is stable

3. Young adults who reported voting in presidential elections

   Columns Year | Voting-age population, 18 to 24 (thousands) | Percent who reported voting. Row 1: 1964 | 9,919 | 50.9. Row 2: 1968 | 11,602 | 50.4. Row 3: 1972 | 24,612 | 49.6. Row 4: 1976 | 26,953 | 42.2. Before 1972 the group is ages 21 to 24 (18 to 24 in Georgia and Kentucky, 19 to 24 in Alaska, 20 to 24 in Hawaii). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, table A-1.

4. 2.

   Bo's classmate says voters aged 18 to 24 doubled from about 5.8 million in 1968 to 12.2 million in 1972, so young people cared more. What is the best reply?

   • Eighteen-year-olds voted at a higher rate than 21-year-olds, which is why the count doubled
   • The count did not double, because the percent who voted fell from 50.4 to 49.6
   • The numbers cannot be compared, because the groups differ and so no honest comparison is possible here
   • The group itself more than doubled, from 11,602 to 24,612 thousand, once 18- to 20-year-olds were counted; the percent voting barely changed
5. 3.

   From 1972 to 1976 the percent voting fell from 49.6 to 42.2 while the group grew. How much did the number who voted fall, Esme asks?

   • By about 0.8 million, which shows that young voters lost interest once the 26th Amendment passed
   • Less than the percent suggests: from about 12.2 million to about 11.4 million, because the group grew
   • By about 15 percent, the same as the fall in the percent voting from 49.6 to 42.2
   • It rose, because the group grew from 24,612 to 26,953 thousand between the two elections of 1972 and 1976

6. Use this

   Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card A, poll taxes after the 24th Amendment (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Congress passed the 24th Amendment on August 27, 1962, and it was ratified on January 23, 1964. It covers elections for federal offices only. Some states still charged a poll tax in their own elections. On March 24, 1966, the Supreme Court decided Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections. It held that a state breaks the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection whenever it makes paying a fee a condition of voting. The ruling rests on the 14th Amendment, not the 24th. Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971.

7. 4.

   Card A adds that Congress passed the 24th Amendment on August 27, 1962. Compare its path with the 26th in card B. What can Jun conclude?

   • The 26th was faster because the Court's 1970 ruling left the states no choice but to ratify it quickly
   • Both took about the same time, because ratification takes about a year in a typical case
   • The 26th took about 100 days to ratify and the 24th about 17 months, though the cards do not say why
   • The 24th took about a year, since it was passed in 1962 and ratified in January 1964

8. Use this

   Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971.

9. 5.

   Kira's classmate says the 26th Amendment was unneeded, since Congress lowered the age in 1970. Which reply does card B best support?

   • The Court allowed the 1970 law only for federal elections, so states could keep 21 for state elections
   • The states refused to follow the 1970 law, which is why an amendment was needed to override them
   • The Court allowed the 1970 law for state elections only, so an amendment was needed for federal ones
   • The Court held Congress has no power over elections, so the 1970 law was void and an amendment replaced it

10. Use this

    Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card A, poll taxes after the 24th Amendment (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Congress passed the 24th Amendment on August 27, 1962, and it was ratified on January 23, 1964. It covers elections for federal offices only. Some states still charged a poll tax in their own elections. On March 24, 1966, the Supreme Court decided Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections. It held that a state breaks the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection whenever it makes paying a fee a condition of voting. The ruling rests on the 14th Amendment, not the 24th. Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971.

11. 6.

    In 1971 a group wants 18-year-olds to vote in state elections. Using cards A and B, which route is most secure, Luz asks?

    • A constitutional amendment, because the Court held a statute could not set the age for state elections
    • Another federal law, because the 1970 law passed Congress and the Court upheld its federal part of the law
    • The 24th Amendment, because it covers state elections after its ratification in 1964
    • A lawsuit like Harper, because equal protection already reaches state voting rules such as a fee

12. Use this

    Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card C, Section 504 and the ADA (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Section 504, from 1973, covers programs that receive federal money. For years the rules that would put it into effect were not signed. In April 1977 disability rights groups held sit-ins at federal offices in ten cities, and the one in San Francisco lasted about a month. On April 28, 1977, Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano signed the rules. The Americans with Disabilities Act became law on July 26, 1990, and it is wider. Its five titles cover employment (Title I), state and local government services (Title II), public accommodations and services run by private entities (Title III), telecommunications (Title IV), and miscellaneous provisions (Title V). Card D, the Americans with Disabilities Act, section 2 (a federal law, July 26, 1990; Public Law 101-336): "the Nation's proper goals regarding individuals with disabilities are to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for such individuals … It is the purpose of this Act— (1) to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities; (2) to provide clear, strong, consistent, enforceable standards addressing discrimination against individuals with disabilities;"

13. 7.

    Noah compares card D's statement of purpose with Section 504's coverage in card C. What does the ADA claim that Section 504's coverage does not?

    • A ban on discrimination in programs that receive federal financial assistance, as in Section 504
    • A national mandate against disability discrimination in general, not just in programs with federal money
    • A promise that public buildings will be rebuilt for access, since the purposes speak of full participation and equality
    • Proof that discrimination against people with disabilities had ended by 1990

14. Use this

    Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card A, poll taxes after the 24th Amendment (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Congress passed the 24th Amendment on August 27, 1962, and it was ratified on January 23, 1964. It covers elections for federal offices only. Some states still charged a poll tax in their own elections. On March 24, 1966, the Supreme Court decided Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections. It held that a state breaks the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection whenever it makes paying a fee a condition of voting. The ruling rests on the 14th Amendment, not the 24th. Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971. Card C, Section 504 and the ADA (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Section 504, from 1973, covers programs that receive federal money. For years the rules that would put it into effect were not signed. In April 1977 disability rights groups held sit-ins at federal offices in ten cities, and the one in San Francisco lasted about a month. On April 28, 1977, Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano signed the rules. The Americans with Disabilities Act became law on July 26, 1990, and it is wider. Its five titles cover employment (Title I), state and local government services (Title II), public accommodations and services run by private entities (Title III), telecommunications (Title IV), and miscellaneous provisions (Title V). Card D, the Americans with Disabilities Act, section 2 (a federal law, July 26, 1990; Public Law 101-336): "the Nation's proper goals regarding individuals with disabilities are to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for such individuals … It is the purpose of this Act— (1) to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities; (2) to provide clear, strong, consistent, enforceable standards addressing discrimination against individuals with disabilities;"

15. 8.

    One reading says rights grew mainly through courts and Congress; another says outside pressure. Which card best fits the second, and what limits it, Ren asks?

    • Card A, because a lawsuit shows that outside pressure rather than the law decided the Court's ruling
    • Card D, because a law's statement of purposes shows which groups pressed Congress to pass the Act
    • Card C, since sit-ins came before the rules were signed, though it gives no reason officials acted
    • Card B, because a quick ratification shows that pressure from young people moved the states

16. Use this

    Who may vote, and who is covered, 1964 to 1990 (cards A to D and a table). Card A, poll taxes after the 24th Amendment (Summary in our words, not a quotation): Congress passed the 24th Amendment on August 27, 1962, and it was ratified on January 23, 1964. It covers elections for federal offices only. Some states still charged a poll tax in their own elections. On March 24, 1966, the Supreme Court decided Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections. It held that a state breaks the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection whenever it makes paying a fee a condition of voting. The ruling rests on the 14th Amendment, not the 24th. Card B, the voting age (Summary in our words, not a quotation): A voting law signed on June 22, 1970 lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age at 18 for federal elections but not for state and local elections. Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified on July 1, 1971.

17. 9.

    Tala's classmate says the 24th Amendment did little, since Harper banned poll taxes everywhere in 1966. Which reply uses cards A and B best?

    • The amendment came first and covered federal elections; Harper later reached state elections
    • Harper shows the amendment failed, because states still needed a court to end poll taxes in their elections
    • Both rest on the 24th Amendment, so Harper repeated what the amendment had already decided
    • Harper came first, so the 24th Amendment copied the Court's ruling into the Constitution

18. Young adults who reported voting in presidential elections

    Columns Year | Voting-age population, 18 to 24 (thousands) | Percent who reported voting. Row 1: 1964 | 9,919 | 50.9. Row 2: 1968 | 11,602 | 50.4. Row 3: 1972 | 24,612 | 49.6. Row 4: 1976 | 26,953 | 42.2. Before 1972 the group is ages 21 to 24 (18 to 24 in Georgia and Kentucky, 19 to 24 in Alaska, 20 to 24 in Hawaii). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, table A-1.

19. 10.

    Zee wants to test whether the lower voting age raised youth turnout. The table mixes groups. Which added data would test the claim best?

    • Turnout among adults of any age in each year, to see whether the whole electorate changed after the age was lowered in 1972
    • Turnout among ages 18 to 20 in 1968, to show how many new voters the change would add
    • Turnout among ages 21 to 24 alone in each year, since that group is the same before and after 1972
    • Turnout for ages 18 to 24 in 1976 and 1980, to see whether the new group kept voting