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"Let us vote!" : youth voting rights and the 26th amendment / Jennifer Frost.

by Frost, Jennifer, 1961- author.

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New York, N.Y. : New York University Press, [2021]

Voting -- United States.

Youth -- Political activity -- United States.

Voting age -- United States.

Political culture -- United States.

United States -- Politics and government.

9781479811328 (hardback)

1479811327 (hardback)

x, 371 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Abbreviations -- Introduction : "we're old enough so let us vote" -- Part I : "it's been a long time gettin' here," 1942-1962 -- Franchise of freedom -- Youth's own future -- Make democracy live -- Change Is in the air -- Part II : "a change is comin' and it's very near," 1963-1967 -- Agenda for a generation -- Consent of the governed -- Challenge of citizenship -- This Is democracy? -- Part III : "it's time that we all made a contribution," 1968-1969 -- Turning Point '68 -- We can vote them out -- It's about time -- Where It's at -- Part IV : "come on and let us vote-it's a solution," 1970-1971 -- The hour Is striking -- Enfranchised? -- A step forward -- On account of age -- Conclusion : "talking 'bout you and me changin' things peacefully" -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix : youth suffrage in states and territories, 1943-1971.

""Let Us Vote" tells the story of the multifaceted endeavor to achieve youth voting rights in the United States. Over a thirty-year period from World War II to the early 1970s, Americans, old and young, Democrat and Republican, in politics and culture built a movement and momentum for the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution. This amendment gave the right to vote to 18, 19, and 20-year olds in 1971, and it was the last time that the United States significantly expanded voting rights. The 26th Amendment means a major expansion of American democracy came right end of "the sixties." Progress toward achieving youth suffrage built on the decade's many developments, most importantly the movement and legislation for African-American civil and voting rights. This story illuminates the process of achieving political change, with the convergence of "top-down" initiative and "bottom-up" mobilization, coalition-building, multiple arguments, and strategic flexibility leading to success. Supporters came from a broad, bipartisan group of Americans and achieved a constitutional amendment that benefited every constituency in the nation. With the 50th anniversary of this important constitutional amendment this year [2021], and as calls for lowering the voting age to sixteen multiply today within the context of climate crisis, gun violence, and police brutality-all of which affect young people disproportionately-the 26th Amendment deserves our attention, application, and appreciation"--

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