Students learn about the changes to and expansion of voting rights during the 1800s. Then, students evaluate the arguments in favor of and against the changes involving white manhood suffrage.
Students learn about the changes to and expansion of voting rights during the 1800s. Then, students evaluate the arguments in favor of and against the changes involving white manhood suffrage.
Students are introduced to long-standing debates over who should have the right to vote in the United States. They answer a poll about which groups could vote in the presidential election of 1820, then read background text explaining how early voting rights were largely limited to white male property owners or taxpayers and excluded women and African Americans. Students post to a collaborative wall explaining why they think voting was limited to property owners and then read and respond to at least two classmates’ posts with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesPresent the lesson overview and objective. After the poll, unlock the remainder of the scene. Facilitate discussion of students’ wall responses, explaining that many states believed property owners had a greater stake in the country’s success and were thought to be more informed and independent in their political decisions. When discussion is complete, unlock the next scene.
Students read about the growth of new western states and how these states expanded voting rights to all white men over age 21, leading older states to follow. Using The Expansion of the Vote: A White Man’s Democracy, they create a timeline graphic organizer showing key events in the expansion of voting rights during the 1800s. Then they post to a collaborative wall explaining how the change in white manhood suffrage affected white women and African Americans.
Teacher MovesDiscuss student wall responses, ensuring they recognize that expanding white manhood suffrage led some white women and free African Americans to lose voting rights, and that all new states admitted after 1819 denied African Americans the vote. When students are ready, unlock the next scene.
Students read about how the extension of voting rights and the rise of new political parties between 1820 and 1840 reshaped American politics, including efforts to attract more voters. Using information from Rise of Democratic Politics, they complete a table identifying three major changes in American politics during this period. They then read additional text describing how voting shifted from voice voting to written ballots produced by political parties.
Teacher MovesInvite students to share their table responses and highlight key changes such as the lifting of property qualifications, the move from voice voting to ballots, increased voter participation, and the direct selection of presidential electors. Clarify how these changes reflected and reinforced expanded suffrage. Unlock the next scene when students are ready.
Students read about early opposition to universal suffrage, including economic voting requirements and John Adams’s concerns about extending the vote to the poor, and review how Andrew Jackson expanded suffrage to all adult white males. They examine lists of arguments for and against property qualifications for voting. Choosing one side, they design a political flyer or poster that explains and supports one of the listed points, creating it on a digital canvas or on paper and uploading a photo.
Teacher MovesUse student responses to identify understandings and misconceptions, and to guide follow-up discussion.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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