Civics ( part 3) - Suffrage and the Equality State

 

Flag of Wyoming

One hundred years ago...

August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment passed.

“The right of citizens of the United States
to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any State
on account of sex”
and
“Congress shall have power
to enforce this article
by appropriate legislation.”

(reference: 19th Amendment Adopted )

It was a hard and long fought battle, summed up as follows:

(reference: https://youtu.be/ML76y8mACZs )

But Wyoming had them beat by 50 years.

"In 1869, the Wyoming territory passed the Wyoming Women’s Suffrage Act, the first in the nation to grant women the right to vote, without restrictions like marital status, property ownership, or monetary requirements—something that changed women’s history forever."

... 

"According to the Louisa Swain Foundation, on September 6, 1870, Louisa “Eliza” Swain made history as the first female voter when she cast her ballot in Laramie, Wyoming."

(reference: Why Women Were Allowed to Vote in Wyoming—50 Years Before the 19th Amendment )

Women's right to vote.

The reason Wyoming is called...

The Equality State

( reference: Wyoming ) 

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Previous post in the series:

Civics (part 1) - The Electoral College (2016) 

Civics (part 2) - We the People (2017)

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Photo:  Flag of Wyoming

Civics (part 2) - We the People

US Constitution/wikipedia.com

Constitution Day  

It's celebrated on September 17.
As that date is the anniversary of the US Constitution, written in 1787.

But before the United States had a Constitution, the new republic of 13 colonies was governed by..

The Articles of Confederation

During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress drafted the Articles to conduct business. And they were ratified by colonies near the end of the war.  {reference: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html }

Yet they were many shortcomings, so a Constitutional Convention was called in Philadelphia in 1787.

For a good timeline on the Constitutional Convention,
check out:   http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/timeline/

Thus was born...

The Constitution 

The document created on September 17, 1787 at the first Constitutional Convention.
{reference: http://constitutionus.com/ }

The Preamble stating its principles is told in this children's song below:

(reference: https://youtu.be/pf6NvlXEyzg )

So the Constitution was ratified 1788 and put effect in 1789 when we elected our first president of the United States under the Constitution, George Washington.

Meanwhile, to sell the Constitution to the States, a case was made for them in...

The Federalist Papers

These 85 essays were written in 1787 - 1788 to make the case for the Constitution, so the States would ratify it. The authors, who used the pseudonym Publius, were some of our well known Founding Fathers--Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.

The result of this Constitution was the shift from a monarch to

We the People

Timeless

A document for the ages and all people. And celebrated in our pop culture

As shown in Star Trek, the Original Series,  Season 2 Episode 52 "The Omega Glory" (1968).

(reference: https://youtu.be/5Fajy-Fy_uA )

Captain Kirk does give a good speech: 

We merely showed them the meaning of what they were fighting for.

Liberty and Freedom have to be more than just words.

Whether it's Sci-Fi in the 23rd century or our own time in the 21st century, the Preamble and the words that follow offer principles for everyone to live by as well as words to remember who we are.

Liberty and Freedom!

That's worth fighting.

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Previous post in the series:

Civics (part 1) - The Electoral College (2016) 

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Photo: US Constitution/wikipedia.com

Civics (part 1) - The Electoral College

wikipedia/electoral college

Lately, there's been a lot talk about college. 

The electoral college, that is. And for good reason. As they cast the votes that really count when electing the President of the United States.

Nothing new about this. It's been in the US Constitution from the get-go.  Article II, Section I, Clause 3 to be exact. [reference: Electoral College ]

And below is an elementary lesson on civics on how our government works:

(reference:  https://youtu.be/oyIFqf3XH24 )

Why the electoral college?

After one of the first  Brexits, 240 years ago in 1776, the American colonies had their suspicions of rulers holding absolute power over them. Such as monarchs like King George III.

And rightly so.  As historian and moralist, Lord Acton, is credited to offer his opinion:

Power corrupts;

absolute power 
corrupts absolutely.

[reference: The Phrase Finder]

So the Constitution was designed with checks and balances for our leaders. And that included a check for the chief executive. That is evident as the founders did not trust a popular vote to elect the president.

For 230 years, there has been many debates on this system as it has its flaws as seen below:

(reference: https://youtu.be/90RajY2nrgk )

What's the solution? 

A popular vote seems to remedy the downside of the electoral college. But the system does have an upside in protecting the interests of the country as a whole.

Consider a popular vote for president.

The candidates would concentrate only on the big cities.  New York City. Los Angeles. Denver. Seattle. Atlanta. Houston, Chicago. ... Those populations will largely will determine the elections.

Screw fly-over country. And the needs and concerns of the more rural areas will be overlooked for the denizens of big cities. And those differences can be poles apart.

Consider the electoral college.

As it is, fly-over country has more weight than the more populated states.  Such as pointed out in Adam Ruins Everything, an electoral vote per capita in Wyoming is worth three times more than an electoral vote in California.

Having lived in California, I understand the feeling that my vote didn't count much. At least for president. We were totally written off as in the tank for the Democrats. And seen a waste of time and money to court our votes. Except candidates saw California as their cash cow and stopped by regularly to milk the billionaire donors for their campaigns...in swing states.

Currently, I reside in Wyoming. More muscle for my vote, right? But we're mostly written off as in the tank for the Republicans. And we are ignored anyway. Only 3 electoral votes at stake. Who cares about us?

Time for a change?

That would require amending the Constitution. It's been done before.  Some 27 times (the first 10 being the Bill of Rights).  But the process is not easy to do. [reference: The Constitutional Amendment Process]

But that's the way it is. Under this Constitution. And it's worked remarkably well since 1787.

So begins another thread.

Civics. 

And this election cycle, vote your conscious. For there is more at stake than the electors we elect at the Electoral College.

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Similar posts on this topic:

ZAMM (part 7) - Yes or No - Gotcha! (2012)

PC Watch (part 2) - The South Park Offense (2013)

Timeless Truths (part 6) - Magna Carta - 800 years and still going strong (2015)

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Photo: wikipedia/electoral college