Two Voting Rights Don't Make a Wrong
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the chart above, describe the change in the voter registration rate for Whites in Virginia from before to after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
According to the data from the chart above, describe the change in the gap in the voter registration rate for Blacks and Whites in Mississippi from before to after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
According to the data from the chart above, identify the state that had the largest change in the voting rate for Blacks from before to after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Explain why the level of voter registration for Blacks was so low during the time of the Jim Crow South (before 1965).
Describe two consequence of Jim Crow laws on American politics.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. This “act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution” was signed into law 95 years after the amendment was ratified. This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. Had you been a member of the U.S. Congress in 1965 explain whether you would have supported the Voting Rights Act.
In response to the 2020 electoral defeat of Donald Trump 19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans, particularly people of color, to vote. These laws have various impacts, including but not limited to making mail voting and early voting more difficult, imposing harsher voter ID requirements, and making faulty voter purges more likely. Describe how the goals of those states contrast with the goals of the Voting Rights Act.
The Freedom to Vote Act, which is currently before the Senate, is a comprehensive package of voting, redistricting, and campaign finance reforms. It includes national standards for voting that would ensure access to the ballot across state lines. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which has passed in the House, would complement the Freedom to Vote Act. In many instances, it would prevent changes to voting rules that discriminate on the basis of race or membership in language minority groups from being implemented, and it would restore voters’ robust ability to challenge discriminatory laws. Were you a member of the U.S. Congress would you support either of these acts?
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Explain the connection between King’s quote and the data from the chart above.
Based on the data from the chart below* describe public opinion about voting rights in American today.
Learning Extension
Learn more about Freedom to Vote Act.
Action Extension
Contact your U.S. Senator and let them know what you think about The Freedom to Vote Act, which is currently before the Senate.