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Voting Rights Act Of 1965 Essay

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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. …show more content…
The Texas Constitution of 1836 also ruled that everyone EXCEPT African Americans and Native Americans can vote but established that any white person who immigrated from other countries had to live in Texas for six months in order to vote and receive citizenship. There were also many barriers that colored people had to face when it came to voting; Texas had implemented The Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws, and the Grandfather Clause. These laws were unconstitutional and purposely made to single out minorities as well as publicly announce Texas’ defiance. Even after the 15th amendment was passed many African Americans were still unable to vote because of the unreasonable requirements like the poll tax and literacy tests. As soon as the U.S Government found out about the unconstitutional laws and the white-only primary system, Texas was forced to follow the rules established during the trial in Smith vs.

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