...The Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act, was a very important bill passed by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965. The act was passed in order to allow Black African-Americans to vote. One important feature of the VRA, is that it banned literacy tests and put tough restrictions on poll taxes in state elections (Harada). Without this act, plus a couple of other movements, it very well may have been possible that Africans would still be sold into slavery, or simply not treated fairly. Before the Voting Rights Act, African Americans, could not vote. They were generally thrown out of the location of voting, as well as Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans (History). Even after the 15th amendment, which allowed all men,...
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...The Voting Rights Act of 1965 opened many doors for minorities that were prohibited from voting prior to 1965. During this time LBJ was in office an strived for equality between the sexes and races in terms of voting rights; the act prohibited literacy tests from being implemented during voting periods and allowed certain individuals that were denied registration to register for voting. Although the 15th amendment was in effect, many African Americans were still unable to vote due to denied registration or failing to pass the literacy test given before going to the ballots. Individuals that were in bad economic standings were also denied from voting due to being unable to pay the 1.50-1.75 dollar poll tax. The only individuals allowed to vote freely without any boundaries were men and women that were not of color, had good economic standing,capable of passing the literacy test, and property owners....
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...The voting rights act of 1965 was written into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6th 1965, and it prevented African Americans from using their right to vote under the 15th amendment of the constitution. After the law was passed in 1965 more than 250,000 African Americans were registered to vote. The voting rights act of 1965 prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It helped more minorities be able to vote, the voting rights act came to pass during the civil rights movement. During this time many African Americans were facing many racial and segregating events. Around this time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had just finished working and helping out in Birmingham, it was brought to his attention of Selma’s lack of voting and equal rights...
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...progressed. Many states in the south implemented rules such as a literacy tests, civics tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and violence. Many colored people’s voting rights were opressed up until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was passed. Despite the rights guaranteed by the 14th amendment, the racial discrimination going on at polls did not begin to change until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was passed. A key force in this process were the multiple protests and...
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...became evident as the national government began to respond to protests held by groups of African Americans seeking equal rights. Since the ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 signaled significant development, members of society often came to the conclusion that racial equality had been achieved. However, in reality, society was far from establishing this equality. Though, in writing, discrimination against individuals based on color could no longer take place, states still found ways to subtly put specific groups at a disadvantage. Even today, over half a century later, states continue to treat different groups of individuals unequally based on...
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...Have you ever imagined the struggle of African-Americans for basic human rights? The civil rights movement refers to the reform movement in the United States beginning in 1954 to 1968, leading primarily by African-Americans to gain full equal rights and voting rights for black citizens of the United States. There are several reasons cause the civil rights movement and have a few consequences behind. First and foremost, African-Americans were devoid of basic human rights is a reason causes the civil rights movement. At that time, African-Americans didn’t have fair social status and were treated less favorably. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for refusing to relinquish her seat on a public bus to a white man, a violation...
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...The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law on August 6, 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. This act outlawed the discriminatory voting practices that Southern states implemented after the Civil war. (ourdocuments.gov n.d.) The Act was provisioned to include the requirement of government officials to manage elections and voter registration in areas that previously discriminated against African Americans during elections. Immediately after this act was sign into law, significant impact could be seen, African American voter registration rates soared in most southern states. “By the end of 1965 a quarter of a million new black voters had been registered.” (ourdocuments.gov n.d.) Prior to the Voting Rights Act, less than 7% of eligible African Americans were registered to vote in Mississippi and only 20 % in Alabama. Toward the end of 1966, the percentage of registered African Americans voters was raised to 60% in Mississippi and 50% in Alabama, other southern states showed significant improvement as well. In recent years, the number of African Americans registered to vote have increased by more than 70% since the 1960’s, mainly in southern states. (Grofman 1994) Since Democrats did not welcome African Americans before 1924, African Americans tended to vote the Republican ticket. With increasing political power, the political views were starting to shift in the direction of the Democratic Party. The Presidential Election of 1968 was the first Presidential Election following...
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...the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act says that states with a history of discrimination must get permission from the Federal Government before changing its voting process. Texas had its Voter ID upheld first in 2013, when a Supreme Court decision struck down what many considered the “heart” of the Voting Rights Act, the ability of the federal government to oversee the voting process in states with histories of discrimination. But in August of 2015, the Texas law was once again shot down by a federal appeals panel that ruled that the Texas law; regardless of intention “Discriminated again blacks Hispanics and...
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...Gerrymandering in Texas Gerrymandering refers to the act of shaping of districts by acting majority party for their electoral gain at the cost of minority parties. Texas Senate redistricting was passed in May of 2011 and signed by the governor in the 82nd legislative session. The Texas attorney general petitioned a declaratory case under section five of the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court ruled that the coverage formula for determining states and local governments fall under the Voting Right Act. Following these rulings, Texas County was allotted 36 congressional districts which paved the way for a congressional redistricting bill which was passed during the first called session in June of 2011. The process for creating a Congressional...
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...However, the decision was close and had many opinions. In “Partisan Gerrymandering and the Voting Rights Act”, Richard Forgette and John Winkle provided a historical background on the decision: “In late April 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote affirmed the lower court judgment in Vieth and dismissed the plaintiffs' claims. On the issue of partisan gerrymandering, however, the ruling proved anything but conclusive. The significance of the ruling, it seems, now lies in its fractured set of opinions” The Justices’ split decision left the door open to reinterpreting the judiciable grounds for gerrymandering under the right circumstances. As displayed thus far, gerrymandering by Republicans has implied racial discrimination. While previous cases have...
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...In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act which bans racial discrimination by federal workers. Before the Civil War, free blacks were not given the right to vote. Southern states were the main issue because they created a majority of the issues due to their stubborn belief that African Americans should not be given rights. In result, African Americans were denied the right to vote in most parts of the south. That is when the Voting Rights Act was enacted, and removed barriers to voting. This required change in locale’s electoral system. In order for this Act to be successful, it required change in voting procedures. There still lies a problem here, even though congress enacted this law, citizens in the South continued to give African...
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...head: CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES PAPER Civil Rights in the Sixties Paper Craig Miller University of Phoenix The American Experience Since 1945 HIS/145 Mark Tate May 20, 2010 Civil Rights in the Sixties Paper The Civil Rights Movement refers to era in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states. “The truth is that no bill insuring civil rights to any person can be enforced so long as there are loopholes available in our political systems loopholes that are the progeny of the very basis of that system, federalism”.(Johnpoll,1964) Civil rights are guaranteed by law but took many years to achieve. For example even after the Civil War, African Americans were treated badly. They got the worst jobs and were paid poorly. Blacks and white were segregated. In other words, they were kept separate in public places including at theaters, restrooms, schools and in transportation. In the 1950's and 1960's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became known as the leader for the nonviolent civil rights movement. Malcolm X quickly became very prominent in the movement with his own group of followers. Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the Civil Rights Movement were passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations (n.a.2009). The Voting Rights Act of 1965 that restored...
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...Kenneth Gill Honors American History II Per: 4 The civil rights movement had a big impact on racial equality. It made the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act possible. In this essay, I will be discussing the factors which contributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I will also discuss the shift in the civil rights movement towards “black power” and the results of the shift. There were many factors that contributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In early 1960 a group of black college students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. This caused similar demonstrations throughout the South that forced merchants to integrate their facilities. In the fall of 1960, participates of the sit-ins formed the SNCC or Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This group worked to keep the spirit of resistance alive in the South. In 1961 a group of interracial students, collaborating with the Congress of Racial Equality, organized “freedom rides”. These consisted of interracial students traveling by bus throughout the south in an attempt to force the desegregation of bus stations. In some places they were met with physical brutality from whites which forced President Kennedy to dispatch federal marshals to help keep the peace. Kennedy also ordered the integration of all bus and train stations. In October 1962, federal courts ordered the University of Mississippi to enroll its first black student...
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...As mentioned, the civil rights movement was nationally recognized and after a “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for the comprehensive voting rights legislation. The Voting Rights Act’s overwhelming passage resulted from a number of converging factors: the clear denial of black voting rights in the South under Jim Crow; profound public outrage about the violence in Selma; a disciplined and compelling civil rights movement; the most liberal Congress since the New Deal; a Republican Party filled with northern moderates, many of them senior figures; and a president in Lyndon B. Johnson who specialized in steering complex legislation through the Congress (Berman 36). The voting rights bill was passed in the U.S....
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...with significantly lower test scores to meet their quota for minority applicants. This was the first case in which the courts issued an affirmative action ruling. Since then, the courts’ ruling of affirmative actions has reduced considerably. 3. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 are milestones in the continuing struggle to promote equality within American society. Describe both pieces of legislation and their significance • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the discrimination in voting and registration. This was the single most important thing to happen to voting rights since 1870. The Voting Rights Act had a huge impact on black participation. The next presidential election showed a higher percent of blacks voting in the south. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 states that a building owner cannot refuse to sell or rent homes because of an individual’s race, religion, ethnicity, or sex. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed, many banks contributed to housing segregation by redlining mortgages. This was the practice of denying home loans to certain neighborhoods, typically those neighborhoods with a large amount of black population. Although redlining is not allowed under the Civil Rights Act, many of those segregated neighborhoods still exist today. ...
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