Applied History module 8 final project submission
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Dec 6, 2023
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Hadiyah Atkinson
IDS-100: Applied History
Southern New Hampshire University
Aubrey-Underwood Eidson
February 26, 2023
Voting Rights
Introduction
The right to vote wasn't always guaranteed to people of color in America, especially African
Americans. To my knowledge, these people were the most discriminated against at that time.
They fought very hard for their voting rights through protests and marches, as they did not have
civil rights or equal rights as white people. Their voting rights were restricted by literacy tests
and poll taxes, however. Black men were granted the right to vote on February 26, 1869, when
Congress passed the 15th Amendment. The 19th Amendment on June 4, 1919, gave white
women the right to vote, but not black women. On August 18th, 1920, it gave black women the
right to vote.
On March 7, 1965, 25,000 peaceful protestors marched from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery,
Alabama but were attacked and brutally beaten by white state troopers. The bloody bath which
was named Bloody Sunday was streamed on national TV across America so much that Congress
was pushed and persuaded to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson
with the help of civil rights figure Martin Luther King who actively fought and protested for the
rights of African Americans as well.
Revised Thesis Statement:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon B
Johnson into law. This act sought to eliminate racism against diverse peoples of color at the
voting polls, including African Americans, by banning discriminatory practices and establishing
voting rights for them. The act became a significant milestone in American history because
people of color gained the right to vote.
There are many causes of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including the March on Selma. In this
case, white state troopers attacked peaceful marchers and protesters protesting their right to vote.
On March 7, 1965, white state troopers and police officers attacked and brutally beat them as
they marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama's capital. As a result, Congress passed the
Voting Rights Act because of backlash, outrage, and national attention. On March 7, 1965,
peaceful protesters marching for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, were brutally attacked by state
troopers. News of what became known as “Bloody Sunday” swept across America, galvanizing
public opinion behind voting reform and prompting Congress to pass the landmark 1965 Voting
Rights Act (United States House of Representatives 2022).
Another cause would be the murder of voting rights activists in Mississippi. They were shot and
killed by the KKK for advocating for their rights. On June 21, 1964, James Chaney, Michael
Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman were tortured and murdered by the KKK with help from the
deputy sheriff near Philadelphia in Neshoba County, Mississippi ( Zinn Education Project ).
Finally, on August 4, 1964, their bodies were found buried on the secluded property of a
Klansman. All three men had been shot at point blank range and Chaney had been badly beaten.
Nineteen men were indicted on federal charges in the 1967 case. Seven were convicted of
violating the victims' civil rights. None served more than six years (CBS News 2021).
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In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed to give voting rights to people of color, particularly
African Americans, who had been fighting for their right to vote for many years through protests
and marches and throughout the civil rights movement that was associated with the voting rights
act. Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent civil rights figure at the time, was a major participant in
the voting rights act. A prominent activist for African American civil rights, he pushed for their
voting rights. King also met with President Lyndon B. Johnson to discuss and pass the Voting
Rights Act. However, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, sparking violent riots and public
outcry. Another prominent participant was President Lyndon Johnson. His presidency lasted from
1963 until 1969 and he was an American politician. One of his greatest accomplishments was
passing the Voting Rights Act. In January 1965, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the most prominent
leader of the civil rights movement in the United States, launched a campaign of civil
disobedience in Selma, Alabama, to bring national attention to disenfranchisement of black
voters in the South. On Sunday, March 7, as part of this campaign, 400 mostly black protesters,
not including King, tried to march across the Pettus Bridge, just outside Selma, only to be
stopped by state troopers and local lawmen, who attacked them with tear gas and clubs. That
night, all three national television networks broadcast film of the assault. The broadcasts sparked
outrage against the attackers and sympathy protests across the country (Moss, David, Grozdins,
Dean, 2021).
Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act that same month, “with the outrage of Selma still
fresh” (Johnson, “Remarks in the Capitol Rotunda”). In just over four months, Congress passed
the bill. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished literacy tests and poll taxes designed to
disenfranchise African American voters and gave the federal government the authority to take
over voter registration in counties with a pattern of persistent discrimination. “This law covers
many pages,” Johnson said before signing the bill, “but the heart of the act is plain. Wherever, by
clear and objective standards, States and counties are using regulations, or laws, or tests to deny
the right to vote, then they will be struck down (Stanford University 2023).
By prohibiting discrimination based on race or color in the voting booths, the voting rights act
had a long-lasting impact. It also prohibited discriminatory policies and rules that prevented
people of color, especially African Americans, from voting, such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
Black voter turnout also increased in America because of it. The Voting Rights Act had an
immediate impact. By the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new Black voters had been
registered, one-third by federal examiners. By the end of 1966, only four out of 13 southern
states had fewer than 50 percent of African Americans registered to vote (The Voting Rights Act
of 1965 2022). A long-term consequence of the act was that it banned the use of literacy tests
used to prevent African Americans from voting. The act also protected minority voting rights and
ensured they could vote. I can say that the banning of literacy tests had long-term consequences
as it could not be used to prevent African Americans from participating in elections. Literacy
tests assess a person's literacy skills and their ability to read and write. The legislation, which
President Johnson signed into law the next day, outlawed literacy tests and provided for the
appointment of federal examiners (with the power to register qualified citizens to vote) in those
jurisdictions that were "covered" according to a formula provided in the statute. In addition,
Section 5 of the act required covered jurisdictions to obtain "preclearance" from either the
District Court for the District of Columbia or the U.S. Attorney General for any new voting
practices and procedures. Section 2, which closely followed the language of the 15th
amendment, applied a nationwide prohibition of the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on
account of race or color. The use of poll taxes in national elections had been abolished by the
24th amendment (1964) to the Constitution; the Voting Rights Act directed the Attorney General
to challenge the use of poll taxes in state and local elections (The Voting Rights Act of 1965,
2022).
This historical event is extremely relevant to me personally because it is February, and it is Black
History Month. I have been very interested in learning more about my black history and this
class just so happens to introduce me to a topic I hadn't known about prior. When I first started
my research, I was looking at my event through a social and political lens. Social because of the
civil rights movement and all the protests and marches. This includes the March on Selma.
Martin Luther King Jr., the leading figure in the civil rights movement and the voting rights
movement, was included in this. I started to lean more towards the political lens due to the heavy
involvement of Congress and Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the act into law. This made me
realize it was more of a political movement because the right to vote is a political right. If a
historian were to pursue further study of my thesis statement, the next steps would be to look
further into what literacy tests and poll taxes were for African Americans and more into detail of
how they were used and they should also look into how the banning of these literacy tests
affected society at that time.
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References:
Zinn Education Project,
(2023)
: Three Civil Rights Workers Murdered in Mississippi
June 21,
1964: Three Civil Rights Workers Murdered in Mississippi - Zinn Education Project (zinnedproject.org)
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act of 1965 | The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and
Education Institute (stanford.edu)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965: An Explainer
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 - Rock the Vote
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Voting Rights Act of
1965
Voting Rights Act (1965) | National Archives
Moss, David, Grozdins, Dean,
Martin Luther King and the Struggle for
Black Voting Rights
Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Black Voting Rights - Case - Faculty &
Research - Harvard Business School (hbs.edu)
CBS News,: Case files and photos from 1964 “Mississippi Burning” murders of civil rights
workers made public for first time.
Case files and photos from 1964 "Mississippi Burning" murders of
civil rights workers made public for first time - CBS News