This paper critically examines the gap between America's ideals of freedom and equality and the lived realities of its citizens, particularly African Americans. Beginning with the evolution of voting rights from the colonial era through the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the paper traces persistent patterns of racial voter suppression — including documented Republican tactics during the 2004 presidential election — and the disproportionate disenfranchisement of minority communities through felon voting restrictions. Drawing on journalism and civil rights reporting, it argues that while the United States ranks among the world's most democratic nations, systemic inequalities continue to undermine the promise of universal political participation.
The paper demonstrates the use of journalistic sources as primary evidence for a social-political argument. Rather than relying solely on abstract claims, the writer cites specific incidents, court rulings, and statements from named individuals to build a cumulative case, a technique that strengthens persuasive essays on current-events topics where peer-reviewed data may be limited.
The paper opens with a philosophical framing device (freedom as relative) before pivoting to historical background on voting rights. It then narrows to a specific contemporary case — the 2004 election — before broadening again to the structural issue of felon disenfranchisement. The conclusion loops back to the opening question, creating a bookend structure that reinforces the central thesis.
All "realities" in this world are relative. There are no blacks and whites — just shades of grey. That is why it is easy to say that the United States of America is the land of freedom and equality. Compared to many other countries across the globe, this nation has much going for it. The presidential election bore this out. Putting aside questions about the Electoral College, every person over the age of 18 had the right to vote in the 2004 election. In fact, 12 million more votes were cast in 2004 than in 2000. Those who supported John Kerry were not pleased with the outcome, but the level of involvement by the American people was quite impressive.
Yet just because America is one of the most democratic countries in the world does not mean that it is infallible. The shades of grey exist. There are still areas of this country where freedom does not ring as loudly as it does in others. Freedom can be defined as "being able to act without interference or control by another." Unfortunately, in this country, that has not always been the case — especially for people who have fallen outside certain categories of privilege.
In 1776, white men had the right to vote and take part in government, but they usually had to meet certain qualifications, such as owning property. Six state governments eliminated all property requirements and gave the right to vote to all white males over twenty-one years of age, rich or poor. At the same time, three other state governments increased property requirements, further limiting the right to vote. In some states, the right to vote also required that a person belong to a particular religious group.
By the 1840s, almost every state government had granted all white males the right to vote. Only two states still had any significant property qualifications. Restrictions on voting by Catholics and non-Christians were eliminated. In a few states, even immigrants not yet naturalized were given the right to vote. The last state to change, North Carolina, abandoned the property test in 1856.
After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution, which states: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Despite this amendment, however, many states made it nearly impossible for Black citizens to vote because they could not pay a poll tax, were deemed illiterate, or were grandfathered out by discriminatory provisions. Women finally gained suffrage rights in 1920, and Native Americans in 1924.
Yet it took until 1965 and the Voting Rights Act for every man and woman to be able to freely vote. This law did not grant Black Americans the right to vote — they had already held that right since the ratification of the 15th Amendment — but it provided for the enforcement of that right. There was one law on paper. Unwritten, there still remained pockets of this country where minority individuals were discouraged from voting, or where votes were quietly destroyed.
Unfortunately, to this day, prejudice still remains in this country, limiting the freedom, equality, and absence of interference that democracy promises. In October 2004, Washington Post metro columnist Courtland Milloy noted: "I must have been asleep because I had no idea that so many schemes were being hatched — yet again — to keep African-Americans from voting… And it is the 40th anniversary of the victory by residents of the nation's capital for the right to vote in a presidential election." Milloy added that he was witnessing "a backward drift into a century gone by, when suppressing the Black vote was all the rage."
When considering whether America is truly the home of the brave and the land of the free, it is necessary to examine whether the equality this nation promises extends to everyone it should. The evidence reviewed here — from the long struggle to expand suffrage to ongoing tactics of voter suppression and the mass disenfranchisement of felons — suggests that for many Americans, particularly those who are Black and poor, freedom remains more an aspiration than a reality.
Krajick, Kevin. "Why Can't Ex-Felons Vote?" Washington Post. Wednesday, August 18, 2004; Page A19.
Lobe, Jim. "U.S. Election: Republicans Urged to End Intimidation." Inter-Press Service News Agency. Retrieved online 2 December 2004.
Marable, Manning. "Race-ing Justice: The Prison-Industrial Complex." Along the Color Line. Retrieved online 2 December 2004.
Milloy, Courtland. "For Black Voters, a Return to the Age of Nefarious." Washington Post. October 31, 2004. Page C01.
Tristam, Pierre. "American Impressions: Tennessee — Our Archipelago." Lakeland Florida Ledger. Monday, July 26, 1999.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.