Argue for or against the author's claim that "it is every eligible American citizen's civic responsibility to vote." Support your argument with evidence from the text. Answer

American independence brought Democracy to the United States. People followed the rule of government strictly based on Constitution. One of the initial key features was the voting right in the federal elections granted to the citizens: who were at least 21 years old. This restriction was resolved through Constitutional Amendments extending the voting privilege to any citizen who is at least 18 years old meeting the essential criteria mentioned in the law.

1) The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) gave African-American men the right to vote.

"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."

2) The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) assures each and every American women the right to vote.

“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 sex.”

3) The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

“the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”

Hence, US has witnessed remarkable changes to ensure "every eligible American citizen's civic responsibility to vote."