Voting Rights Act
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the chart, describe the difference between Black voter registration and White voter registration in Alabama before the Voting Rights Act.
Based on the data from the chart above, describe the change in Black voter registration in Mississippi before and after the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
On February 3, 1870 the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Who did this Amendment guarantee the right to vote.
despite the 15th Amendment, by the 1880s Jim Crow laws in Southern states had clawed away the rights of Blacks. Describe some of the obstacles to voting that Blacks faced during the Jim Crow era.
On August 6, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, allowing the federal government to dismantle state-level measures that made it very difficult or even impossible for African Americans to vote, including poll taxes, literacy tests, and outright violence against black voters. Describe the overall change in voter registration before and after the voting rights act as displayed in the chart above.
The Voting Rights Act had a huge impact on many Southern states. For example, black voter registration rates in Mississippi increased from a mere 6.7 percent in 1965 to 59.8 percent in 1967, according to the US Commission for Civil Rights. based on the chart below,* what happened to Black voter registration in the decades beyond the 1960s?
After the Civil War the south was reliably Democratic. But after the Democratic Party passed the Voting Rights Act, and the federal government began to enforce Blacks’ constitutional rights at the voting booth, the South began to turn Republican.
Had you been a member of the U.S. Congress in 1965 would you have voted for the Voting Rights Act?
In 2013 in Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating the federal government's ability to block states' voting restrictions. In response, many states have stepped up the passage of new voting restrictions, such as voter ID laws, that disproportionately impact minority groups. Explain whether you agree with the court’s majority opinion, issued by Chief Justice, John Roberts, that Blacks no longer needed federal voting protection.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, since the beginning of 2021, lawmakers have passed at least 42 restrictive voting laws in 21 states. Among those laws, 33 contain at least one restrictive provision that was in effect for the midterms in 20 states. What actions could the U.S. government take to protect minority rights?
Learning Extension
Learn more about voting restrictions that went into place across America in 2022.
Action Extension
There’s been a bipartisan push to reform the Electoral Count Act, which lays out Congress’s role in counting electoral votes following a presidential election, though it’s still waiting on a vote in the Senate. In September, the House passed its version of these reforms and the Senate is likely to do the same in the coming weeks. At this point, more than 10 Republicans have expressed their support for the bill, a strong sign that it will pass. Contact your U.S. Senators and let them know what you think about this legislation.
