The 1950s and 1960s were pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights in the United States. From the vicious and brutal murder of Emmett Till in 1955 to Rosa Parks' brave stand and subsequent Montgomery bus boycott only months later, to the police attacks and murders of civil rights activists in Selma, the public could stomach the hatred no longer. Read on as we delve into the fractious period of American history that gave birth to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 Definition
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 served the function of updating the provisions of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution to include all citizens regardless of color or ethnicity. In the many decades since the amendment was established, African Americans had faced many barriers to voting rights in Southern states, including literacy tests and poll taxes.
Fig. 1 Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was established to protect citizens from discriminatory voting practices by states. Under the law, it was now illegal to discriminate against voters on the basis of race or ethnicity, and states had to be accountable to and transparent in their election practices.
These voters were also subject to violence and intimidation at polling places. The Voting Rights of 1965 served as a corrective to all those years of disenfranchisement of African Americans, essentially rendering discriminatory voting practices illegal. Southern states would now be held to account for the procedures they used, and fairness would now be ensured through these federal statutes and guaranteed rights for all under the Constitution.
No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color."1
- Paragraph 2, Voting Rights Act of 1965
Rights Act of 1965 Summary
Fig. 2 Lyndon B. Johnson
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. It was considered a matter of urgency in light of the violence that had recently occurred in Selma, Alabama, where four civil rights activists were killed, and was, by the words of Johnson himself, a fitting tribute to the legacy of assassinated former President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had been assassinated only the year before and having been staunch advocate of the bill and equal rights in general, his shadow loomed large over the passage of this law.
So, what makes up the crux of the Voting Rights Act, you might ask? Before investigating that, to understand the context better, we have to look at the powder keg of events leading up to it, which created the urgent need for President Johnson to sign the VRA.
History of Voting Rights Act of 1965
Timeline of events leading up to the Voting Rights Act of 1965
| Year | Event |
| June 11, 1963 | JFK addressed the nation on civil rights. |
| June 12, 1963 | Medgar Evers was assassinated. |
| June 19, 1963 | JFK introduced his Civil Rights bill. |
| September 15, 1963 | 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed and four African American girls were killed. |
| November 22, 1963 | JFK was assassinated.  Fig. 3 JSK Limousine
|
| November 24, 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the bill in Congress, where it is opposed by all of the Southern representatives. |
| February 10, 1964 | The Civil Rights Act was passed in the House, but was filibustered in the Senate by the Southern representatives. President Johnson stresses the necessity to uphold its tenets with the Voting Rights Act. |
| March 7, 1964 | Bloody attack of peaceful protestors including John Lewis, on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. A shocked nation witnessed the brutality on TV, raising public awareness, and adding fuel to pass the Voting Rights bill. |
Fig. 4 President Ronald Reagan at the signing ceremony for Voting Rights Act legislation
Provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are listed as follows:
- Title II - banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex in public accommodations affected by interstate commerce, including restaurants, movie theatres, sports arenas, or other public facilities.
- Title III - authorized the Attorney General to provide legal services free of charge in discrimination lawsuits to those who cannot afford it, or whose employment would be adversely affected by such a lawsuit.
- Title IV - looked to ensure desegregation by enforcing federal law in states that were not in compliance.
- Title VI - ensured that any institution, employer or union funded by the federal government would lose such funding if found to engage in the above-mentioned discriminatory practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.2
Did you find this explanation on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helpful? If you answered yes, go ahead and check out our other fabulous explanations on Civil Rights Activists, including John Lewis, Ruby Bridges, and more!
History of Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 built on the protections offered in the Civil Rights Act.
- Section 2 - outlawed denial of voting rights based on race.
- Section 3 - allows for the appointment of federal examiners in covered districts to ensure standards are upheld.
- Section 4 - outlaws literacy tests for registering voters.
- Section 5 - provides for pre-clearance through the federal government of any new state voter practices or standards.
- Section - criminalized the interference of voting rights.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 Impact
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 had the greatest impact on the relationship between the states and federal government than any other piece of legislation since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Immediately there were challenges to be faced. From 1965 to 1969 the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of several provisions requiring federal oversight in voting districts.
By the end of the year 1965, 250,000 new Black voters had registered in the states affected by the new law. By the end of 1966, four out of 13 of the states affected had less than 50 percent of their African Americans voting in elections. The Act was re-adopted in 1970, 1975, and 1982.
Fig. 5 Signs and poster from Black Lives Matter protests
Voting Rights Act of 1965 Amendments
Did you know? Poll taxes were outlawed in the 14th Amendment on the federal level. But the Voting Rights Act of 1965 came along and mandated that the federal government investigate the practice of levying poll taxes. Finally in 1966, The Supreme Court handed down a decision that outlawed poll taxes at the local level. All thanks to the Voting Rights Act of 1965!
The Voting Rights Act has been amended and expanded over the years. The law has also been modified in terms of lifting certain requirements. The Supreme Court handed down a decision which removed federal limitations that had been in place in the states that were previously covered by the law. The Shelby County vs. Holder decision of 2013 determined that these provisions were outdated in some jurisdictions. In the aftermath of this decision, several of the states put into place laws that limited voter access, especially regarding identification, mail-in voting, and early voting.
The Voting Rights Act 1965 - Key takeaways
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 updated the provisions of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution to include all citizens regardless of color or ethnicity, national origin, sex, or religion.
- The law forced a number of the southern States covered in the Act to be subject to federal oversight in their polling practices.
- The Voting Rights Act prevented employers and unions from exercising discrimination and granted plaintiffs the right to an attorney in civil rights cases.
- The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
- The Act was heavily supported by civil rights activist John Lewis as well as President John F. Kennedy, whose assassination had occurred two years prior.
References
- Voting Rights Act 1965, National Archives, 1965
- John Lewis and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Statutes and Stories, 2020.
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