During the first presidential election in 1789, only 6% of the citizens of the United States had the right to vote. Those eligible were white, male property owners. In 1870, with the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution former male slaves were given the right to vote. Fifty years later on Aug. 18, 1920, with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment women finally gained the right to vote.
The founding fathers of our country might not approve or even recognize the current government, but the diversity that has been achieved is worthy of celebration.
It has been a two hundred and twenty seven year struggle, but women have finally broken the “marble ceiling” with the election of Nancy Pelosi to the position of Speaker of the House. The diversity in the House is reflected not only with gender and race, but also religion.
On Jan. 4, 2007, Speaker Pelosi, requesting more bipartisanship, called to session the 110th Congress. Pelosi is the first woman, the first Californian as well as the first Italian American, to hold this distinguished position, making her second in line of succession to the presidency after the Vice President. Representative Keith Ellison from Minnesota also made history as the first Muslim to be elected to a federal position. Also for the first time the Qu’ran, which happened to belong to third president Thomas Jefferson, was used in a federal ceremony.
During the first 100 hours of the Pelosiheaded house, most of the campaign promises have been met. In rapid session her colleagues have passed numerous bills that fulfilled their promise to American voters.
For students, one of the more significant bills passed was the College Student Relief Act of 2007. This act lowers the interest rate on federally subsidized loans from 6.8% to 3.4% over the next five years. Speaker Pelosi issued a statement that said,”a college education is the best investment our nation’s young people can make in themselves, and the best investment our nation can make in its future.”
In 1971, the Twenty Sixth Amendment gave citizens over the age of eighteen the right to vote. It has only taken us thirty five more years for our representatives to truly reflect the diversity of our country.
“We’ve come a long way, baby.”