Prof James Kelvin
kailasofnnkyysne
the_new_american_example.docx
Name
Proffessor name
ENGL
18 June 2016
The New American Voter
African Americans, Latinos, non-English people, women, and even the poor, have a strained relationship with the U.S. government and its political leaders. For decades, the minority has fought for equal representation in political offices and barriers created by the majority. Supreme court Dredd Scott decision that required Blacks and immigrants to sign their names and read the constitution or the mandate that required women, to vote like their husband presented limitations for true democracy. Even after the 1870 ruling, prohibiting racial discrimination,
many southern states create poll taxes and literary tests to retard minority voting. It was not until
1965, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement that Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act, which increased voting by 53% (Katel). Within its induction, this act has been amended at four other times, with the last being the 2006 prohibition of voting examiners (“The History of Voting Rights Laws”). Because of the numerous hurdles that hindered true
democracy, currently, U.S. minority citizens struggle with finding a reason to trust those who
Commented [b1]: I do not like my title, but your title must reflect the subject and tone of the essay.
I want to tie the word democracy, new America but with a provocative tone.
have created these obstacles; yet, the minority has become the majority.
Political parties are aware of the “attitudinal changes” created by the diverse population and they are attempting to find political candidates that would win over minority voters (Fauntroy 42). Professor Fauntroy recognizes how some GOP members feel that targeting Black political candidates is a waste of time and would “alienate white conservatives” (42), and any representation of Black candidates does not suggest that they will address minority concerns
Commented [b2]: This paragraph is my context. The paragraph introduces why many minority voters have not voted in the past and what changes have been made to increase voter turnout.
Commented [b3]: This paragraph covers the dilemma the
GOP and their objections.
(43). This “racial threat theory” (Fine and Avery 1174) has become a double-edged sword for the GOP: in a study conducted by researchers Jeffery Fine and James Avery, “larger minority constituencies will make white constituencies feel threatened by economic and political competition” (1174), and larger minority constituencies oftentimes receive the worst
representation of their interest (Fine and Avery 1174), which feeds to the distrust many minority
voters have about Republican candidates, and while race should not be the primary factor when
selecting a political candidate, if a political party want a chance at winning and election, they
must reevaluate and provide, what is becoming the majority, political candidates that embody the
new American.
GOP skeptics believe that if they put time in minority candidates their constituency may perceive them to be empathic to the minority and not the needs of the GOP. There is also the question as to whether they are finding these candidates for legitimate reasons; such candidates as Professor Fauntroy suggests are, as viewed by the minority community as “‘sacrificial lambs’ offered up by the Republican Party” (43), and in most cases these candidates lose by “50
percentage points” (Fauntroy 44). As many political critics have expressed, the GOP is not
Commented [b4]: This is my claim. I removed gender because- for specificity reasons- I would not have enough space (word count) to discuss everything.
Commented [b5]: Because of my changes and additions, I do not like the transition from the previous paragraph and this. During the revision process, I will create a stronger transitional expression.
This is my first point; it is my rebuttal to the opposition. This paragraph is moving inductively because I am moving from specific information to a general conclusion.
investing in these candidates because they do not believe they have much chance at winning. Even though, according to the US Census Bureau, Hispanics and American comprise 30% and
15% of the US population, and even though the importance of color should not be a deciding
Commented [b6]: As I had explained in class, I know I have a gap. I need to say more here about qualified, local political candidates. This will give legitimacy to my grounds.
factor when picking a candidate, the GOP can look at the many local leaders who can relate to
the concerns of the community and are qualified to lead a community, state and even the
nation.
However, seeking out qualified candidates requires political parties to reevaluate what
Commented [b7]: This is the point I want to make and it ties back to my claim.
Commented [b8]: I try to avoid using trite transitions, and again, during the revision process, I would create a stronger
they believe are important qualities and their platforms. Because of the damaged relationship
transitional expression. This is where my argument would begin to move deductively (general to specific).
between the Republican National Party (RNP) and minority voters, they will continue to remain skeptics until the candidates they see stop acting as the talking head for the RNP.
Works Cited
Fauntroy, Michael K. "Afros and Elephants: Black Republican Candidates Running Statewide in
2006." Western Journal of Black Studies 32.2 (2008): 41-50. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2016.
Fine, Jeffrey A., and James M. Avery. "Senate Responsiveness to Minority Constituencies: Latino Electoral Strength and Representation." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley- Blackwell) 95.4 (2014): 1172-1188. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2016.
Hawkins, Stacy. "Diversity, Democracy & Pluralism: Confronting The Reality of Our
Inequality." Mercer Law Review 66.3 (2015): 577-649. Academic Search Complete. Web.
8 June 2016.
"History of Voting Rights." History of Voting Rights. MassVOTE2013, n.d. Web. 13 June 2016. Katel, Peter. "Voter Rights." CQ Researcher 18 May 2012: 449-76. Web. 13 June 2016. Mumford, Kevin J. "The Trouble with Gay Rights: Race and The Politics of Sexual Orientation
in Philadelphia, 1969-1982." Journal of American History 98.1 (2011): 49-72. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2016.
Plutzer, Eric, and Nancy Wiefek. "Family Transitions, Economic Status, And Voter Turnout Among African-American Inner-City Women." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley- Blackwell) 87.3 (2006): 658-678. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2016.
Vargas, Arturo. "Latino Voters." Vital Speeches of the Day 66.6 (2000): 170. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 8 June 2016.
Commented [b9]: Even as you draft, make it a habit of adding your sources to your works cited page. My sources fit the assignment’s criteria (at least 5 peer reviewed sources, and/or 1 website). If you would like to use all academic sources, but you remain limited to one non- academic source.
