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Voting Rights Act Of 1965 Essay

756 Words4 Pages

The Fifteenth Amendment granted African-American males the right to vote in the late 1800s. However, through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, southern states were able to effectively discourage African-Americans. It was not till 1965, almost a century later, that the Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson; enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment. But acquiring the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was an enduring task for African-American citizens and supporters. A perfect example is “Bloody Sunday”, where a group of activist, in their attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama protesting for the rights of voters, were beaten and left for dead of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. This was the first of three planned marches.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 would not be effective if it weren’t for section four and section five. After the Civil War, ended slavery and discrimination were outlawed. Even though laws were in place to …show more content…

With congress’ decision to repeal section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is, in my opinion, one step backwards for the country of the United States. Stated by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in Remarks on the Signing of the Voting Rights Act (August 6, 1965), “Millions of Americans are denied the right to vote because of their color. This law will ensure them the right to vote.” The repelling of section 4 from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is completely against President Lyndon Baines Johnson beliefs of equality among citizen. As stated previously, the repelling of section (4) of The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was not a wise decision. Section four of The Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided the country with strict regulations to keep the right to register and vote fairly split among

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