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According to former U.S. President, Lyndon B. Johnson, “ The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men." During The Civil Rights Movement, black Americans fought to end racial segregation and to secure their rights as citizens including the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act was an important part in securing their rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the most significant and influential piece of federal legislation that was enacted during the events of the Civil Rights Movement. The act radically altered the political status of racial minorities in The United States and prohibited discriminatory …show more content…
practices from the voting process which ensured enfranchisement for millions of Americans. The Voting Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon B.
Johnson on August 6, 1965. The purpose of the Voting Rights Act was to destroy the barriers at state and local levels that disfranchised minority voters especially African Americans. Before the passage of The Voting Rights Act, racial minorities in The United States faced many barriers which prevented them from voting. Although racial minorities were previously given the right to vote by the 15th amendment, new ways were implemented to prevent them from exercising this right. During the time of the Civil Rights Movement, state and local governments, particularly those in The South, used different tactics and laws to disenfranchise minorities. This included using poll taxes and literacy tests ( Laney 4). African Americans also faced harassment and physical violence if they attempted to register to vote ( Voting Rights). Due to this disenfranchisement, protesters and activists , during the Civil Rights Movement, decided to focus on the voting rights issue and participated in voting- rights demonstrations throughout the South. The most well known voting-rights demonstrations that occurred in Selma, Alabama, where protesters including organization such The SCLC and SNCC were viciously attacked by state troopers (Davidson …show more content…
30). Due to the national media coverage of brutal events that occurred at the Selma, public opinion had shifted and pressure was placed on President Johnson to enact national voting rights legislation.
Many Americans were outraged by what was occurring in Selma. Responding to the events in Selma, on March 15, 1965, President Johnson gave a speech expressing that denying the right to vote to minorities was unjust and went against American values of freedom and democracy. He also spoke about how it was necessary for legislators to enact for new and expansive voting rights legislation. During Johnson's speech, he stated, “ To apply any other test, to deny a man his hopes because of his color or race or his religion or the place of his birth is not only to do injustice, it is to deny Americans and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom”. Johnson also stated, “ We have all sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution. We must now act in obedience to that oath. Wednesday, I will send to Congress a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote.” Both quotes showed President Johnson`s opinion of voting discrimination against minorities, but also showed his commitment in creating new legislation to counteract the issue of the voting rights. This led to The Voting Rights Act being introduced in and later passed in August of the same
year. The Voting Rights Act had an significant and immediate impact across the nation for racial minorities especially African Americans living in Southern states and was a key victory of the Civil Rights Movement. The act forced states to abandon their discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and to change the way in which it ran their elections which allowed millions of Americans , who had been previously been disenfranchised, to now have the ability to exercise their right to vote. It also allowed for federal supervision of election in places where African Americans had been prevented from voting ( Gilder) . According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, “ within two years, with the help of many volunteers, African-American voter registration throughout the South increased to more than 50 percent of the voting-age population”( Constitutional). There was also a dramatic increase in voter turnout. For example, in Mississippi, voter turnout among blacks increased from 6 percent in 1964 to 59 percent in 1969. The Voting Rights Act also had an impact in black representation in government. in a report by Bernard Grofman and Lisa Handley of George Washington, “ in the period from 1965 to 1985, there was a dramatic increase in the proportion of black legislators elected in southern states” ( Grofman, Handley 1). The Voting Rights Act was an important piece of legislation that affected the millions of minorities especially African Americans, who were the victims of discriminatory practices by their states. It outlawed practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes that prevented citizens from voting. It also allowed the mass enfranchisement of racial minorities, allowing them to vote. Due the efforts by civil rights protesters and significant figures such as Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King , this act was created and passed. By securing their right to vote, The Voting Rights of 1965 was influential to the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
During Johnson’s presidency, the federal government significantly extended its domestic responsibilities in attempt to transform the nation to what Johnson called the “Great Society,” in which poverty and racial intolerance ceased to exist. A previously unsurpassed amount of legislation was passed during this time; numerous laws were passed to protect the environment, keep consumers safe, reduce unfairness in education, improve housing in urban areas, provide more assistance to the elderly with health care, and other policies to improve welfare. Johnson called for a “War on Poverty,” and directed more funds to help the poor; government spending towards the poor increased from six billion in 1964 to twenty-four and a half billion dollars in 1968. Not only did Johnson improve the American economy and greatly reduce poverty, but he also advocated for racial equality; he managed to get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making segregation illegal in public accommodations/institutions. He also enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting literacy tests in areas in which the amount of voters was under a certain number, which forced many southern states to allow more blacks to vote. As a result of his presidency, the poor and minorities enjoyed significant benefits from the more favorable legislations and more successful American legislation.
On March 15, 1965 in Washington D.C ……..the courageous President Lyndon B. Johnson has delivered a legendary speech. It was called, “We shall overcome.” The speech came into conjunction, after the sad death of a black protester in Selma, Alabama. The protest was over black voting rights. Blacks were simply discriminated against voting rights on the basis of their skin color. Johnson’s aspiration for the “we shall overcome” speech, was to convince the congress, Americans, to pass his bill. This would be beneficial by enabling blacks to vote. Johnson is widely known for his effective use of ethos, logos, and pathos to engage the crowd.
Should America have compulsory voting? In my opinion, compulsory voting is a good way to increase the voting turnout. People currently don't like to vote because they don't have the time, or are just too lazy. If the government gives them an incentive then they will be happy to take time off to vote. Also, a reason to fear not to vote should be installed, like an annoying fine. When only a few people vote, the voter satisfaction is low. But when everyone puts their idea in, the satisfaction rises because the actual majority will win.
When the Government Stood Up For Civil Rights "All my life I've been sick and tired, and now I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. No one can honestly say Negroes are satisfied. We've only been patient, but how much more patience can we have?" Mrs. Hamer said these words in 1964, a month and a day before the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. She speaks for the mood of a race, a race that for centuries has built the nation of America, literally, with blood, sweat, and passive acceptance. She speaks for black Americans who have been second class citizens in their own home too long. She speaks for the race that would be patient no longer that would be accepting no more. Mrs. Hamer speaks for the African Americans who stood up in the 1950's and refused to sit down. They were the people who led the greatest movement in modern American history - the civil rights movement. It was a movement that would be more than a fragment of history, it was a movement that would become a measure of our lives (Shipler 12). When Martin Luther King Jr. stirred up the conscience of a nation, he gave voice to a long lain dormant morality in America, a voice that the government could no longer ignore. The government finally answered on July 2nd with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is historically significant because it stands as a defining piece of civil rights legislation, being the first time the national government had declared equality for blacks. The civil rights movement was a campaign led by a number of organizations, supported by many individuals, to end discrimination and achieve equality for American Blacks (Mooney 776). The forefront of the struggle came during the 1950's and the 1960's when the feeling of oppression intensified and efforts increased to gain access to public accommodations, increased voting rights, and better educational opportunities (Mooney). Civil rights in America began with the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, which ended slavery and freed blacks in theory. The Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 were passed, guaranteeing the rights of blacks in the courts and access to public accommodation. These were, however, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, who decided that the fourteenth did not protect blacks from violation of civil rights, by individuals.
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
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.
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
In the 1960’s America was divided over the voting rights of African Americans. It was a time of racial and political unrest as president Lyndon B. Johnson encouraged Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. On March 16, 1965 “We Shall Overcome” was delivered to congress. Lyndon B. Johnson was elected vice president of the United States in 1960 and became the 36th president in 1963. Throughout his speech Johnson uses a variety of strategies to persuade the nation that African Americans have the right to vote.
Many Americans were outraged by an event that occurred on March 7, 1965, when Alabama state troopers attacked peaceful voting rights protest participants who were marching from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery. These individuals were battered with nightsticks, tear gas and whips after they refused to turn back. Some of them were severely beaten and others ran for their lives. This event was seen on national television, and after this brutal incident, President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed extensive voting rights legislation.
People who said that that the voting right was a result of Selma also said that the events that went in Birmingham, Alabama in April and in May of 1963 produced the Civil Rights Act in 1964. In more than one occasions black civil right people were lead by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in marches and were met with outrageous law enforcements tactics. In the Selma march demonstrators were always peaceful, but the officers would use weapons on them even though the Selma demonstrators never did anything harmful. On March 7th a day after the bloody Sunday, dozens of speakers said that t...
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a push for equality for minorities was in the forefront of America. The obstacles restricting equality amongst all were race, class, and gender prejudices. An example of this can be seen in the Voter's Right act of 1965, which banned racial discrimination in voting. Prior to this act, minorities faced many obstacles including taxes, literacy test, harassment and physical violence. The battle to receive the rights that whites had was a long struggle both physically and mentally, reasons being: first, the laws had to be changed and second, combating the opposition of those who valiantly resisted these changes .The result has been every expansion of civil and political rights in American history.
Ava DuVernay’s 2014 film, Selma is a powerful piece of cinematography that captures the civil rights marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. King and his followers aimed to advance equal voting rights for African Americans through non-violent protests and activism in 1965. The film also depicts Reverend King’s relationship and discussions with President Lyndon B. Johnson regarding possible solutions to the racial conflicts in the state of Alabama. I believe that the film portrayed Johnson fairly considering his political struggle with Congress while confronting the immense pressure of Dr. King’s voting rights campaign and legislative demands. Johnson’s hesitant stance towards voting rights is justified by
...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.
Have you once heard some one say "That's unconstitutional!" or "That's my constitutional right!" It’s a phrase used quite often, but many a time misunderstood. There are many misconceptions among Americans and astonishingly, many basic fundamental “rights” that we so cherish as Americans are in actuality not guaranteed by our nations most important founding document. One such misconception is something that will surprise you. Many Americans believe that the government cannot prohibit its citizens from voting, but the truth is - if Americans read their Constitution, they would be shocked to see that in no where does it provide that Americans are forever entitled to the right to vote. With that arises the question – does America need a “Voting Rights” Amendment enumerated into the constitution? Quite frankly – Yes, yes it does.