The 1865 Voting Rights Act

While some believe the civil rights movement began in the 1960s, rights were given to African-Americans at the end of the Civil War.

Although they were not fully implemented at the time, rights for African-Americans should have been awarded at the end of the Civil War. But bigotry and greed prevented them from being realized for nearly 100 years.

1865 Voting Rights

When the Civil War ended in 1865, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment should have assured African-Americans freedom and equality under the law. Unfortunately, not everyone saw African-Americans as equal. Each Southern state decided what rights freed slaves had. Many states put in place barriers so African-Americans could not vote.

Black Codes

States enacted different versions of black codes, all with the goal of treating African-Americans as inferior to whites. They could be arrested for being unemployed. They were prohibited from owning property in some states. African-Americans faced barriers to voting such as literacy tests and poll taxes, while illiterate and poor white people were allowed to vote.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

After nearly 100 years of such discrimination and unequal treatment, African-Americans finally achieved some concessions. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed literacy tests and relaxed other restrictions that hampered African-Americans' ability to vote. Despite the law, many still had difficulties voting. They were harassed and intimidated at the polls, and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan attacked and harmed those who did try to vote.

References

• The Civil Rights Movement: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
• The First Civil Rights Act for Black Americans Was Not in 1864
• Digital History: Reconstruction