Although African-Americans legally had the right to vote for decades, violence and discrimination were used to prevent them from voting. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 into law to ban discriminatory voting practices in several states.
Here are 3 more things to know about 08.06.1965.
1) On March 7, 1965, Alabama state troopers used nightsticks, tear gas and whips to attack more than 600 people attempting to march from Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL to register to vote. After “Bloody Sunday,” President Lyndon B. Johnson called for comprehensive voting rights legislation.
2) The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was one of the most expansive pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. By the end of 1965 more than 250,000 new African-American voters had been registered.
3) Sections 5, 6-9 and 203 of the VRA are temporary and must be periodically reauthorized by Congress. These provisions provide important protections like, requiring certain jurisdictions to premolar proposed changes in voting procedures with the U.S. Department of Justice.
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