3. Voting Rights and Civil Liberties
GED® Social Studies: Elections, Rights & Civic Participation · preview lesson
Voting rights expanded over time. The 15th Amendment prohibited denying the vote based on race, the 19th protected women's suffrage, the 24th banned poll taxes in federal elections, and the 26th lowered the voting age to 18.
Civil liberties are freedoms protected from government interference, such as speech, religion, assembly, and due process. Civil rights are protections from unequal treatment, especially in voting, education, employment, and public accommodations.
The difference matters. Freedom of speech is a civil liberty. Protection against voting discrimination is a civil right. Both are central to citizenship, and both appear frequently in GED® passages.
References: National Archives: Bill of Rights; National Archives: Milestone Documents
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