The 24th amendment is one of the most important amendments in American history. This is because; the amendment prohibited the imposition of poll tax, among other types of taxes on voters. In other words, it prohibited the imposition of tax on voters, as a condition that would allow them to vote. Voters, therefore, had the right to vote, without paying taxes in the process. The amendment was proposed and ratified in 1962 and 1964 respectively.
The amendment is to the effect that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax”.
In order to be able to properly understand the importance of the 24th amendment, it is relevant that we look at how the situation was, prior to this amendment. Before the enactment of the amendment, poll tax was used as a measure of controlling the number and type of citizens who participated in elections. In this way, the groups which were regarded as inferior could not afford the tax, and were, therefore, excluded from voting. The majority of people who were excluded from voting were the African Americans and their white sympathizers. The poll taxes were, therefore, a means of disenfranchising the black population. Other measures included threats of violence and literacy tests among others. The enactment of this amendment to the constitution was, therefore, a means of ensuring that the African Americans were given rights to vote. It is actually one of the most important amendments in African American history.
However, even after the ratification of the amendment, poll taxes were still introduced in some southern States of America. The taxes were introduced after the African Americans were given rights to vote. The taxes were, therefore, a means of ensuring that the African Americans did not exercise their newly given rights to vote. However, in the case of Breedlove V Suttles, the court held that these taxes were unconstitutional, since they prohibited the exercise of constitutional rights. In this case, court stated that, “the privilege of voting is not derived from the United States, but is conferred by the state and, save as restrained by the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments and other provisions of the Federal Constitution, the state may condition suffrage as it deems appropriate”.
It is, also important to note that, at the time of ratification of the 24th amendment, some States refused to ratify. These States, therefore, still imposed poll taxes on voters, till they were declared unconstitutional in 1966 by the Supreme Court, in the case of Harper Vs the Virginia Board of Electors.
From the above, it is noted that, the 24th amendment is important to American history, because it eliminated the condition of imposition of taxes on voters. It, therefore, ensured voter freedom.