Alabama Social Studies SS24.USG.7c

Social Studies12th GradeKey Institutions and Political Participation

The Standard

SS24.USG.7: Analyze how the expansion of suffrage affected the political system of the United States, including the enfranchisement of non-property owners, women, Black Americans, and persons 18 to 20 years of age.

Analyze historic and current barriers to voting access and voter turnout, and weigh the benefits and consequences of possible solutions.

2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how past rules and current conditions have kept eligible people from voting or discouraged them from trying. They compare possible fixes by considering who benefits, whether turnout might change, and what problems each fix could create.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain how poll taxes targeted Black voters and how long lines can cause people with hourly jobs to leave without voting. They can weigh longer polling hours against staffing costs and identify who would benefit.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think poll taxes are still legal. They may assume low turnout only means people do not care, missing the effects of work hours and long lines. They may assume a proposed fix helps everyone equally.
How to Assess It: Ask students to name one past voting barrier and one current barrier. For the current barrier, have them propose a fix and give one likely benefit and one possible drawback.

Lesson moves

Give pairs cards labeled poll tax, literacy test, strict ID rule, and long wait to sort by era and explain whom each affected.
Ask students to write: Would same-day registration help enough voters to justify extra staffing and verification work?
Match cards showing long lines, missed deadlines, and lack of transport to possible fixes, then name one drawback for each fix.
Use the Alabama Secretary of State website to find registration deadlines and absentee ballot rules, then identify voters who might struggle with them.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.USG.7c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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