“Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote”: The WWII Roots of the 26th Amendment | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

lightning_palm · 2021-12-02T16:55:22+00:00

Given that the US wants to expand the draft to women, this article seemed relevant.

On November 11, 1942, Congress approved lowering the minimum draft age to 18 and raising the maximum to 37. Soon after, the slogan “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” was born.

[…]

[I]t would not be until much of the American public became disillusioned by the lengthy and costly war in Vietnam in the mid 1960s that the movement to lower the voting age gained widespread public support. “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” found its way back into the American consciousness in the form of protest signs and chants. Then-Senator Randolph and other politicians continued to push legislation to lower the age to 18, including passing an amendment into 1965’s Voting Rights Act in 1970 that applied lowering the age to federal, state, and local elections.

[…]

On March 10, 1971, the Senate voted unanimously in favor of a Constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 18, followed by an overwhelming majority of the House voting in favor on March 23. The states swiftly ratified the amendment, and it took effect on July 1, 1971, nearly 30 years after Senator Randolph first proposed lowering the voting age. In response to its passing, the senator reflected “I believe that our young people possess a great social conscience, are perplexed by the injustices which exist in the world and are anxious to rectify these ills.”

I say: "Old enough to vote, old enough to fight!"

If women can vote, they should not be excluded from the draft.

idontneedausername89 · 2021-12-03T04:04:25+00:00

But not old enough to drink, according to Reagan.

Heavy_Grand2526 · 2021-12-03T16:01:32+00:00

A very important history lesson for modern America that sadly is under-appreciated.

Support our boys!

Title	“Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote”: The WWII Roots of the 26th Amendment \| The National WWII Museum \| New Orleans
Author	lightning_palm
Upvotes	7
Comments	5
Date	December 2, 2021 4:51 PM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/r7bofa/old_enough_to_fight_old_enough_to_vote_the_wwii/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/old-enough-to-fight-old-enough-to-vote-the-wwii.1089103 https://theredarchive.com/post/1089103

Comments