Post #2 Voting Rights Act

Chris Kemp

2/22/16

Rights of voters

Voting Rights Act

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act

The article begins by explaining how Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act which worked to overcome particular barriers and give African Americans the rights entitled to them under the 15^th Amendment.  Once Johnson was elected into office he strives to create stronger voting-rights laws.  The article goes on to discuss that even though the 15^th Amendment was enacted it still didn’t truly grant African Americans the right to vote.  After the Amendment was passed African Americans were subjected to literacy tests, Grandfather clause, and were sometimes even forced to “recite the entire Constitution or explain the most complex provisions of state laws.”  Under the leadership of Johnson the voting rights bill was passed in 1965 and was enacted as a law later that year.  This act was very important considering it worked to ensure equal voting representation between the different races.  This act also led to the investigation of poll taxes which would later be made illegal under the 24^th Amendment.  Although state and local enforcement of the law was weak or ignored it still led to a greatly increased voter turnout from African Americans.

   

This article directly associates with what we have recently learned considering it covers the broad spectrum of voter’s rights.  Throughout unit two we have discovered the multiple Amendments that ensure equal voter representation between genders and races.  This article begins by covering the 15^th Amendment which on paper was monumental and would lead to equal voter representation among blacks and whites.  As the article went on to explain this was sadly not the case.  Many states restricted African Americans from participating in the voting process even with their new found rights.  They restricted them thought literacy tests, the grandfather clause, and even poll taxes.  We have covered these three restrictions not only in class but also in our note cards.  The literacy test requires people to take and pass a literacy test before being eligible to vote.  The grandfather clause says that you can vote only if your grandfather could vote, so African Americans were still unable to vote even under the 15^th Amendment considering their grandfather most likely was unable to vote.  The article later goes on to discuss how Johnson was an instrumental part in the enactment of the Voting Rights Act.  Although we haven’t covered this act in too much detail during the course of the semester we have studied it numerous positive effects.  Finally the article briefly covered the topic of the 24^th Amendment which we have previously talked about in class and on our note cards.