Civil Rights Act of 1965 – Voting Rights

Civil Rights Events
NAME OF CIVIL RIGHTS EVENTDESCRIPTION
Civil Rights Act of 1965 – Voting RightsThe Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections
Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Act sought to secure the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country. It is also “one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
  • DESK USED BY LBJ TO SIGN THE ACT OF 1965 – LBJ MUSEUM
  • CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBIT – LBJ MUSEUM