Final answer:
a) Suffrage identity refers to qualifications that allow individuals to vote, and the 19th Amendment, passed in 1920, specifically granted women the right to vote, expanding gender-based voting rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Suffrage Identity and the 19th Amendment
Suffrage identity refers to the characteristics that entitle individuals to the right to vote in elections. When discussing the 19th Amendment, which is a pivotal change in the United States Constitution, it is specifically about gender-based voting rights.
The answer to the student's question is (a) Suffrage identity is the right to vote based on gender. The 19th Amendment established voting rights for women.
Originally, the right to vote in the United States was limited to white male landowners. Over time, through various amendments, the right to vote was expanded.
The 15th Amendment prohibited the denial of suffrage based on race or color, granting African American men the right to vote. The women's suffrage movement led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, ensuring that women could no longer be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex.
The struggle for equality in voting rights required significant effort from a diverse range of activists and was part of a broader societal change that sought to include more people in the democratic process, regardless of their race, gender, and later, age.
Subsequent amendments continued to breakdown barriers to voting, illustrating the evolving nature of democracy and the continual fight against voter suppression.