Civil Rights Dbq

Words: 1025
Pages: 5

The founding of America was based on democracy and liberty, but these were not universally applicable to African Americans. African Americans have been denied the right to vote in America ever since the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Beyond that, Black citizens have since then fought for their righteous abilities through social movements throughout the centuries. Traversing through the evolution of Black voting rights, many efforts can be observed in spite of brutality. Despite this, many efforts have been successful in marching towards equality for all. Since the Civil War, African Americans have fought at every turn to prevent them from exercising their right to vote. While the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870 and granted African American …show more content…
The immense effort involved in such work paid off. More dramatically, the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965 and Bloody Sunday, a violent confrontation in which police attacked demonstrators with billy clubs, forced President Lyndon B. Johnson to propose the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Doc 3). The shocking images of the brutality of Bloody Sunday, policemen attacking innocent marchers enraged Americans, ultimately, mobilizing public opinion to move voting rights legislation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also laid important groundwork in that it had eliminated discrimination in many areas and made passage of the Voting Rights Act more feasible. These campaigns were characterized by strategic, nonviolent tactics and significant moral appeal to the American conscience. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. underscored the dignity of African Americans as citizens and their place in the democratic process. These tactics, in combination with the astute work of grassroots organizations, leaders of the civil rights movement, and sympathetic political figures, formed a coalition with great …show more content…
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of the greatest triumphs, as it virtually dismantled many of the legal barriers to voting that previously existed in the South. As shown in Document 5, a sharp increase in black voter registration occurred across the Southern states in two years following the passage of the Act. For example, in Mississippi, black voter registration increased from 6.7% to 59.8%. The Act provided the federal government the authority to oversee voter registration in communities known to use discriminatory practices and outlawed literacy tests, which many used as a means to disqualify black voters from participating. Additionally, the importance of this legislation is captured in Document 6a, where President Barack Obama recognizes that it eliminated legal barriers at the state and local level that had traditionally blocked African Americans from exercising their right to vote. The rise in political participation among African Americans, who began to experience success in electing African American officials and increasing the level of representation in local, state, and federal government bodies, is evidence of the success of the Voting Rights Act. This newfound political power gave African Americans the opportunity to present their voices for further civil rights advances and community improvements. However, challenges persist, as President Obama also points out that while