Southern New Hampshire University
HIS-200-R6521 Applied History 20EW6
6-3 Writing Plan Progress Check 2
Even though the 15th amendment gave African American men the right to vote in 1869, it
would not be recognized by some states in the south until The Voting Rights Act 1965
became law. e The government, which was controlled by whites, restored the Black codes in
the form of Jim Crow laws, keeping African Americans segregated for almost a century.
Some Southern states used intricate registration techniques as part of an organized effort to
stop African Americans from voting in the years before 1965. e Voters in Alabama were
mandated to complete an application that was four-pages long. They repeatedly forced black
voters to take a comprehensive literacy examination. Parts of which included a section of
the constitution that had to read out loud before they had to answer questions about it,
which they would often fail. e (Hillstrom, 2009). e The black population was hurting owing
to a lifetime of oppression, poverty, and the lack of proper education; election officials
frequently told them they had gotten the election date, time, or voting place incorrectly, or
they possessed the inadequate reading ability. They completed the application inaccurately.
In 1964 a thousand college students from various parts of the country arrived in Mississippi
to assist with registering African American voters during what is known as the Freedom
Summer or the Mississippi Summer Project. There was hatred from the white citizens who
did not want any strangers coming in and alternating things, so they began a campaign of
harassment.
The movement was a fight for fairness and equal opportunity for African Americans. e
There were several leaders, both African American and white, who played a significant part
in the passing of The Voting Rights Act of 1965, some who lived to see it signed into law
and others who died for the cause. e Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of marching from Selma
to Montgomery his philosophy was peaceful resistance that led him to organize several
marches.
Shortly after President Johnson signed the Voting Right Act into law, 381 black voters
registered in Selma, where months before civil rights marchers were met with brute force
and attacked by State Troopers while marching to Montgomery. e e Black political candidates
started to see victory when running for public office. Had it not been for The Voting
Rights Act of 1965, the nation may not have had its first African American President.
When The Voting Right Act of 1965 was signed, the country had been mourning the loss
of Dr. King. e In doing so, President Johnson’s promise was there would be no delay or any
unwillingness in the expectations of Americans of every race, color, and origin to have the
same right as all others and to share in the of process equality in this country. This year is
the 55th anniversary of The Voting Rights Act of 1965. There have been tremendous
concerns about the coming elections since the COVID 19 pandemic Individuals living in
the most deprived areas are dying from coronavirus at more than twice the rate than those
of more wealthy neighborhoods. They may not be able to go out and vote because of social
distancing; several states have delayed some of their elections, or they have allowed their
citizens to vote via mail-in ballot. Today being able to vote by mail is vital as it will
guarantee the elections can go on without disruptions in a secure and timely manner.
Even President Trump has taken advantage of the right to utilize mail-in ballots both this
year and in 2018. Yet, he started a campaign of untruthful conspiracy theories that have
disseminated amongst conservatives for some time. He said while being interviewed that the
lawsuits brought by both himself and the Republican National Committee were to fight the
increase of mail-in voting and to stop voter fraud. The lawsuit was explicitly done in
efforts to limit access to the ballots for the coming election for poor people and people of
color. Calling mail-in voting “very dangerous,” but giving the okay for Florida to vote by
mail.
Hillstrom, L (2009). e The Voting Rights Act of 1965
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/politics/donald-trump-mail-in-voting-florida/index.html
Hampton, H and Fayer, S (1990) Voices of Freedom
Hillstrom, L. C. (2009). The Voting Rights Act of 1965. Omnigraphics, Inc.
Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME). e 2020
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sessmgr05&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsbig.A62
4650413&db=edsbig
Kirk, J (2004) Martin Luther King Jr.
https://eds-b-ebscohost-
com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzc5NzY4MF9fQU41?sid=ccfdae6d-93c5-
42ad-a43e-c5f28e571ae9@pdc-v-sessmgr05&vid=60&format=EB&rid=3
