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The US civil rights movement
Civil rights movement in the usa
The US civil rights movement
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The United States changed as a nation because of the Civil Rights Movement. Especially, the United States notched up as a more perfect union. The Civil Rights Movement secured voting rights for African-Americans and called for the ending racial segregation, discrimination and segregation. After years of struggle and upheaval, it resulted in the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. The purpose of the act was to protect African-Americans’ voting rights and overcome legal barriers that prevented them from exercising their rights to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a historic triumph as it helped the nation acknowledge the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which granted equal voting rights to all but which goal remained unfulfilled for the next several decades. Therefore, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned …show more content…
literacy test instituted to discriminate against African-Americans, prohibited intimidation at the polls, and dispatched federal registrars to locales where voting totals fell below 50% of those eligible. Before the Civil Rights Movement, the United States Constitution did not provide specific protection for voting. Despite the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution, which enfranchised the rights of citizens to vote and “not be denied by any state of the race, color, or earlier condition of servitude”. African-Americans faced verbal and physical harassment when they tried to register or vote. As a result, African-Americans had little political power and felt a sense of despair in their community. Therefore, the effort to regain African-American voting rights advanced slowly in the new century. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, remains to the be the most remembered acts among the Civil Rights Movement, due to their great impact on African-Americans through the banning of the literacy test, prohibiting intimidation at the polls and lastly to dispatching federal registrars where voting fell below expected. Literacy test is a test that determines the qualification of a voter based on his/her or his ability to read. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, people had to pass the literacy test in order to register or vote. The right to vote plays an important role in the United States. Many people, could not pass the test, due to not being able to be read and write. Also, many people made sure that the literacy test was made hard so African-Americans could not easily pass the test. However, if a person’s grandparent or other family member voted before, the person could vote. Meaning that it was easier for some citizens to vote, but not African-Americans. However, After Lyndon B. Johnson passed the voting rights act of 1965, which banned the literacy test, people from everywhere were able to register and vote. African-Americans and other citizens rejoiced with happiness, because they were finally able to vote, without being tested based on their knowledge. Also, the ban stopped other methods of examining African-Americans for voting requirements. Meaning that there were no other methods of examination, that test African-Americans ability to think in order from them to vote. Overall, the literacy ban helped African-Americans gain their power to vote and stopped other methods that prevented them from voting before. Poll testing is the process of voting in an election. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, people used to intimidate African-American in order to stop them from registering or voting. Many African-Americans, could not handle the pressure given to them, which was aimed to stop African-Americans from voting. Also, many people made sure that the African-Americans were threatened so they could change their idea of voting. However, if a person was known, people didn't mind them and treated them with respect. Meaning that it was easier for some citizens to vote without being threatened or harassed, but not the African-Americans. The voting rights act of 1965, banned intimidation at the polls for everyone, African-Americans and other citizens rejoiced with happiness, because they were finally able to vote, without worrying about being terrorized. Also, the ban of intimidation at the polls was effective everywhere and made sure, that people who are voting are their own space. Also, it is illegal now to intimidate people at the poll and to distract them. In conclusion, the ban of intimidation at the polls helped African-Americans and others gain their strength, to fight for what they believed in, and vote for whoever they wanted, however, they wanted. Lastly, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, dispatched federal registrars to locales where voting totals fell below 50% of those eligible.
Previously, many people, could not vote, And the government did not do anything to find out the reasons behind, the lack of few votes of African Americans. Also, many people made sure that there was no solution to stop the fewest votes of African Americans. However, after the enactment of the act, everything was ready for action. Now federal registrars came to locales where voting totals fell below 50% of those eligible African Americans. They found out the reason behind the loss of vote from African-Americans and encouraged them to vote. Also, this enforced the better law, that everybody could follow, during the voting process. The Federal registrars believed that all men should have the equal rights to vote, and no one should stop them. They also wanted African-Americans to realize, that their votes also did matter. To conclude, the literacy ban helped African-Americans gain their power to vote, and stop other methods that prevented them from voting
before. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ensured the equal participation of the African-American community in the election process. The United States changed drastically as a nation, due to the Voting Rights Act Of 1965. After years of struggle for African-Americans were able to live life as they desired to. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, was passed to make everyone's life in American peaceful and perfect. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a historic triumph as it helped the nation acknowledge the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which granted equal voting rights to all but which goal remained unfulfilled for the next several decades. Therefore, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is an act that will always be remembered by everyone one in America. The Act still continues to bring hope for the future generation and is the key to a perfect union.
This led to the passing of the civil rights act and the voting act in the 1964 and 1965. This allowed for the African Americans to have the right to vote.
When the constitution was written, the idea of universal suffrage was too radical for our founding fathers to address. They decided to leave the states with the authority to decide the requirements for voting. (Janda) By allowing the states to decide who voted, the authors had not intended for each state's discriminations to prevent the country from maintaining true democracy. However, by not setting up a nationwide regulation, the authors launched the country into a century and a half long fight for freedom and equality for all.
It had finally led to an end of the illegal barriers under the 15th Amendment and allowed African Americans to vote without any knowledge or character test. Johnson stated, “For years and years they had been tried and tried and tried and they had failed and failed and failed. And the time for failure is gone” (Johnson). The statistics showed a large increase of African Americans in each state in the South in 1966. By 1970, over a million African Americans had registered to vote by (Quoted in “Victory for Voters”). The Voting Rights Act not only allowed African Americans to vote, but it also opened up many new opportunities for them. After all, Lyndon Johnson had successfully achieved his main goal to get many supporters from the south and it changed the nation towards a positive direction after the
Kennedy’s Civil Rights Act, which called for the fair treatment of all races, changed the tone of the Civil Rights Movement. This doesn’t mean that everyone automatically started to change the way they thought about African Americans, but people started to come together and realize that change needed to happen soon. 5 months after Kennedy first announced the bill, he was shot in Dallas, Texas. It wasn’t until 8 months after Kennedy's assassination that Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into effect on July 2, 1964. The bill was passed through congress with a 290-130 vote. (History Channel 2010) After the bill was passed, more action was taken to assure equal rights for African Americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was created to prevent discrimination and unfair treatment with African American voters. (Library of Congress) The 1964 Civil Rights Act sent a message loud and clear: no longer was discrimination or racism going to be tolerated. In fact, many people thought that change needed to happen soon, as a 1964 Gallup poll suggests. 58% approved of the bill while only 31% did not. 10% were undecided (Public Broadcasting Service 2015). Not only did those who were black support the bill, but many white national leaders started to support the ideas of the act. The bill became the national pathway to equal rights. However, not all were ready to move towards change. Following the signing of the bill, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were both assassinated.
In 1965, at a time of racial discrimination in America and the emergence of a strong Civil Rights Movement, congress enacted the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits discrimination in voting. Congress could not end racial discrimination in voting by suing one jurisdiction, state, etc. at a time. Rather, Congress passed Section 5 of the VRA, which required states and local governments with a history of racially discriminating voting practices to get the approval of the U.S. Attorney General or a three-judge panel for the U.S. District Court for D.C. (“preclearace”) in order to make any changes to their voting practices. Section 4(b) said that the preclearance requirement applied to states and political subdivisions that used a “test or device” to limit voting and in which less than 50% of the population was registered to vote, or voted, in the presidential elections of 1964, 1968, or 1972. Nine states and seven subdivisions in other states are subject to the requirement in Section 5, which has been amended three times and was reauthorized for an additional 25 years in 2006. The Supreme Court however, has been skeptical about the constitutionality of the law. In the Supreme Court’s decision on Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder (2009), the Court avoided the constitutionality of Sections 4(b) and 5 of the VRA. Shelby County, Alabama, is covered in Section 5 because all of Alabama is covered. The county went to court in Washington to strike down Section 5 of the VRA.
The Civil Rights Movement refers to the political, social, and economic struggle of African Americans to gain full citizenship and racial equality. Although African Americans began to fight for equal rights as early as during the days of slavery, the quest for equality continues today. Historians generally agree that the Civil Rights Movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Despite the 14th and 15th constitutional amendments that guarantee citizenship and voting rights regardless of race and religion, southern states, in practice, denied African Americans the right to vote by setting up literacy tests and charging a poll tax that was designed only to disqualify them as voters. In 1955, African Americans still had significantly less political power than their white counterparts.
Activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led marches and speeches that addressed this unfair racial discrimination. Additionally, violence against African Americans in Southern states increased. Therefore, the President at that time, Lyndon B. Johnson, saw this as a national problem and signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was originally for Southern states and only for five years, but it eventually got renewed.
To enforce voting to be mandatory , this will prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices for their representatives. Mandating would stimulate the demand side, motivating voters to understand and acknowledge who they are voting for. Therefore , voting is to be a responsibility than a option.
One of the basic rights African Americans struggled to obtain was the right to vote. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified. The amendment stated that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (U.S. Constitution). As this was thought as a victory, it was soon to be seen that it was anything but. White men in the nation saw this as a threat and improvised new ways to prevent African Americans to vote such as the installment of poll taxes, literacy test, and the “grandfather clause”. In Litwin’s book, Fighting for the Right to Vote, Litwin explains how Mississippi Delta activist, Fannie Lou Hamer assisted other African Americans in registering to vote and helping them gain a voice in the movement. Voting was not the only place where African Americans fell short of capabilities. Due to Jim Crow laws, African Americans could not do such basic things as ride first-class passenger on a primarily white train or a bus. A lady known as Rosa Parks in the neighboring state of Alabama found herself facing charges when she refused to give up her seat on the bus during the time of the movement. The Jim Crow laws were created to prevent African Americans from making any advancements that could potentially threaten white
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border States. This segregation while supposed to be separate but equal, was hardly that. Blacks in the South were discriminated against repeatedly while laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of history’s greatest political battles.
“It is an indispensable intrusion by the federal government into an area where it has no constitutional right”(George Neu) It was a big tension between federal government and state government. But some of them blamed it as a controversy at that time because most of the federal government head supported that. “Virginia senator Henry Byrd, an opponent of the 1965 voting rights act, claimed Lyndon Johnson would only increase racial tensions by “inflaming so-called civil rights issues” if he pursued the legislation.” (Finley) By Refusing all kinds of argument against voting rights the congress had passed the voting rights act to give African American exact equal rights.”The voting rights bill was passed in the U.S. senate by a 77-19 vote on may 26, 1965. After debating the bill for more than a month, the U.S. house of representatives passed the voting rights Act into law on August 6, with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders present at the ceremony.”(history.com) a major part the congress voted for the voting rights act in order to “This great, rich, restless country can often opportunity and education and hope to an….black and white, North and South, Sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies….poverty and ignorance….and not our fellow men...And these two should be
During a time of oppression that the African Americans had to endure in the 18th century, progress had started to climb its way out of gutters to aid them in securing their rights to vote. One of many ways to see how the 15th Amendment came to be is to get a look at the two previous Amendments before it. There were obstacles African Americans had to overcome and that was to be free from slavery and to be protected as a citizen. In the contents of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment, this paper will discuss when and how the “Negro Suffrage” began and how long the progress had to be.
The civil rights act outlawed discrimination based on color, sex, and religion against any individuals. It authorize bureaucracy from making rules to help close discrimination and it mandate the same voting rules( The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). The civil rights act was deeply harmed american society(Constitutional Rights Foundation of The Civil Rights Act of 1964). The most important law in the United States was the civil rights act of 1964(Civil Rights Act for Kids of 1964). Even President Johnson signed the the civil rights act into law, by using 72 pens just a few hours after house approval on July 2, 1964(Constitutional Rights Foundation of The Civil Rights Act of 1964). Also, President Johnson wanted a new civil rights bill and he signed it into law on July 2, 1964(Civil Rights Act for Kids of 1964). Within hours of its passage on July 2, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson, with Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Height, Roy Wilkins, John Lewis, and other civil rights leaders
The government passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965, giving civil rights to all Black Americans .After nearly 10 years of nonviolent protests and marches, ranging from the 1955 to 1956 Montgomery bus boycotts to the student sit-ins of the 1960s and to the huge March on Washington in 1963. Martin Luther King (MLK) was one of the greatest impacts for change the world has ever known. MLK’S leadership and efforts provided the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) , which forced American society to end discrimination. Although he did a lot for black , he was not the only reason the Civil Rights Movement was passed, he was the trigger. Several events before this enabled the Civil Rights Movement to be passed.
...or southern blacks to vote. In 1967 the Supreme Court rules interracial marriage legal. In 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead at the age of thirty-nine. Also the civil rights act of 1968 is passed stopping discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. In 1988 President Reagan’s veto was overridden by congress passing the “Civil Rights Restoration Act” expanding the reach of non-discrimination laws within private institutions receiving federal funds. In 1991 President Bush. signs the, “Civil Rights Act of 1991”, strengthening existing civil rights laws. In 2008 President Obama is elected as the first African American president. The American Civil Rights Movement has made a massive effect on our history and how our country is today. Without it things would be very different. In the end however, were all human beings regardless of our differences.