Supreme Court Voting Rights Act

Many states created obstacles to prevent black males from voting.

Although black males were granted the right to vote in 1870, many obstacles still existed which prevented them from being able to vote. Largely this was done by preventing them from registering. Almost a hundred years later, the Voting Rights Act was created to ensure they were able to exercise their civil rights to participate in elections.

History

The 15th Amendment was created to give former slaves the right to vote. In the wording of the amendment, no citizen will be denied a vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Some states, particularly in the South, took steps to prevent these citizens from voting using tactics such as literacy tests. These practices continued for nearly a century before President Lyndon Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Function

The Voting Rights Act was created, in President Johnson's words, to "make it impossible to thwart the 15th Amendment." The act made practices like the literacy tests illegal. It also allowed for the appointment of federal examiners with the ability to register citizens to vote. The act also required changes in voting practices or procedures to be pre-cleared by the District Court of the District of Columbia or the attorney general.

Effects

This legislation created conflict in Congress as some states viewed it as interference with state's rights. This was a significant piece of legislation as it dealt with the relationship of the federal and state governments in reference to voting. Between 1965 and 1969, the Supreme Court ruled on several cases disputing the legislation. It ruled in favor of the act, deeming it constitutional.

Significance

A quarter of a million new black voters were registered by the end of 1965. One-third of these were registered by the federal examiners. One year later, out of the 13 Southern states, only four had less than half of their black male population registered to vote. As President Johnson said at the time of passing the act, "we cannot have government for all the people until we first make certain it is government of and by all the people."

Considerations

The Voting Rights Act was further amended in 1970, 1975 and 1980. These additions also allowed the federal government to supervise voter registration where it was considered necessary. On a related topic, it was not until 1920 that the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving American women the right to vote in national and local elections.

References

• Our Documents: 15th Amendment
• Our Documents: Voting Rights Act