Kyra's Blog : EOTO Voting Rights Act Blog Post

The EOTO presentation I had was on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act outlawed illegal voting tactics in Southern states. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The act enforced the 15th amendment which granted Black men the right to vote. The obstacles that came with gaining the rights to vote were opposition items such as literacy tests, harassment, and violence if Black people tried to vote.

In 1964 leading up to the passing of the voting rights act was the Bloody Sunday March in Selma, Alabama. The march was to demonstrate the dedication to the fight for civil rights, which was met with opposition by the Alabama police who incited violence. The march led to Lyndon B. Johnson and congress to discuss effective voting rights. The voting rights bill was passed and it became a big piece of civil rights legislation in the United States.

The passing of the Voting Rights Act was a pinnacle achievement for the Black community because it led to pillars of equality that became more encompassing for the black community. The Voting Rights Act was created to level the playing field for the black community and catch up with the other voting acts that had been passed for white men and women. Black people were the last to receive the benefits that other races were afforded in regards to the right to vote.

Expanding upon the difficulties that came with voting rights such as literacy tests and guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar at the voting polls to prevent a ballot from being cast. Another form of danger was lynchings and harrasment. The literacy tests scrutinized the intelligence of black people and was made to put them in a box of inferiority. The other issue that arose when black people tried to vote was harassment. The harassment and lynchings that occured toward black people when they tried to vote was a way of silencing their voices and opinions.

The issues faced by the black community were acts of voter suppression, before it earned a name for itself on a national scale. The history of voter suppression in the 50’s and 60’s has spiraled into present day voting registration among black people. The suppression suffered by Black people in the present day is shown in the voting requirements and districts. In closing, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave way to the civil rights movement as it progressed through the years and created a revolution for black people.