What does the 24th Amendment mean in simple words?

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The 24th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America abolished the poll tax for all federal elections. A poll tax was a tax of anywhere from one to a few dollars that had to be paid annually by each voter in order to be able to cast a vote.



Regarding this, what is the 24th Amendment in simple terms?

Not long ago, citizens in some states had to pay a fee to vote in a national election. This fee was called a poll tax. On January 23, 1964, the United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting any poll tax in elections for federal officials.

Secondly, what President signed the 24th Amendment? At the ceremony in 1964 formalizing the 24th Amendment, President Lyndon Johnson noted that: "There can be no one too poor to vote." Thanks to the 24th Amendment, the right of all U.S. citizens to freely cast their votes has been secured.

Similarly, why is the 24th Amendment Important?

On this date in 1962, the House passed the 24th Amendment, outlawing the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections, by a vote of 295 to 86. The poll tax exemplified “Jim Crow” laws, developed in the post-Reconstruction South, which aimed to disenfranchise black voters and institute segregation.

What did the 24th amendment do quizlet?

to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

31 Related Question Answers Found

What does the 15 Amendment mean?

The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction

What is the 28th Amendment in simple terms?

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to

What was the impact of the 24th Amendment?

The 24th Amendment prohibits conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on the payment of a poll tax or any other type of tax. Basically, the amendment made poll taxes illegal. A poll tax is a fee required in order to vote.

What does the 13th Amendment mean in simple terms?

Thirteenth (13th) Amendment Definition: The text of the 13th Amendment: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

What is the 25 Amendment in a summary?


The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution says that if the President becomes unable to do their job, the Vice President becomes the President. This can happen for just a little while, if the President is just sick or disabled for a short time.

How did the 24th amendment differ from the 14th and 15th Amendments?

The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were added. The 14th amendment granted full citizen ship to African Americans so they can vote. The 15th amendment guaranteed the right to vote to men regardless of their "race". The 24th amendment was passed which said someone can vote whether or not they can pay the poll tax.

What is Article 24 of the Constitution?

Article 24 (1780)
Laws made to punish for actions done before the existence of such laws, and which have not been declared crimes by preceding laws, are unjust, oppressive, and inconsistent with the fundamental principles of a free government.

What was passed in 1965?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

What did the 11th amendment do?

The Eleventh Amendment was adopted to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793). Thus, the Eleventh Amendment established that federal courts do not have the authority to hear cases brought by private citizens against states.

What does the 23 Amendment mean?


The Amendment allows American citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for presidential electors, who in turn vote in the Electoral College for President and Vice President. In layperson's terms, the Amendment means that residents of the District are able to vote for President and Vice President.

Why was the Bill of Rights written?

The Bill of Rights: A History
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties.

What did the twenty fourth amendment do how did it help African Americans?

This method was used by most Southern states to exclude African Americans from voting. Poll taxes were declared void by the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964. It outlawed taxing voters, i.e. poll taxes, at presidential or congressional elections, as an effort to remove barriers to Black voters.

Does poll tax still exist?

The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished the use of the poll tax (or any other tax) as a pre-condition for voting in federal elections, but made no mention of poll taxes in state elections.

What are the three steps in the voting process?


  • Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses. There are many people who want to be president.
  • Step 2: National Conventions. Each party holds a national convention to finalize the selection of one presidential nominee.
  • Step 3: General Election.
  • Step 4: Electoral College.

How did the 24th amendment affect African American voting rights quizlet?

The 24th amendment was important to the Civil Rights Movement as it ended mandatory poll taxes that prevented many African Americans. Poll taxes, , effectively prevented African Americans from having any sort of political power, but greatly in the South.

How did the twenty third amendment affect Washington DC?

Twenty-third Amendment, amendment (1961) to the Constitution of the United States that permitted citizens of Washington, D.C., the right to choose electors in presidential elections. Washington is a federal district rather than a state, and residents of the District of Columbia are thus not citizens of a state.