Beyond the Civil Rights Movement: Updating the High School Social Studies Curriculum with Shelby County v. Holder
Abstract: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) is often covered in high school social studies classes as part of units of study about the Civil Rights Movement, but is rarely discussed beyond the 1960s. Voting rights remains a controversial topic today, however, with the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision and subsequent debate over voter fraud versus voter suppression. In order to be knowledgeable participants in our democracy, high school students should have a basic understanding of the arguments surrounding voter identification laws, redistricting, and voter suppression dominating the current conversation. By incorporating government documents including congressional hearings and presidential documents from 2006 to the present into the social studies curriculum, high school educators can help students develop an understanding of the positions on both sides of the contemporary voting rights debate.
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