Informed & Inspired A MONTHLY UPDATE FOR THE LIBRARY’S MOST AWESOME ADVOCATES: KIDS!
Let’s Talk About Civil Rights! Civil Rights are freedoms and protections granted to members of a society by their government. These include the right to vote, to go to school, to own property, and to get married. These may seem like common sense – everyone should be able to do those things, right? But throughout history, people have had to speak up and fight for these basic opportunities. Check this out, then keep reading to learn more:
Voting The U.S. was established in 1776, but the right to vote wasn’t granted to Black citizens until 1870. Even then, only the men could vote. No women could vote until 1920. Even after the 15th Amendment granted Black Americans the right to vote, there were still laws in place to make it harder for them to do so until 1965.
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Until at least 1954, Black children could not go to the same schools as white children. They received less money for teacher pay and books, and they often had school in homes and churches because they didn’t even have a building to use.
Black Americans could legally buy property as early as 1866, but until 1968 there were many legal but unfair practices that kept them from being able to do so.
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community weren’t guaranteed the right to get married in all 50 states until 2015.