The Brown Case

Soon after passage of the Voting Rights Act, federal examiners were conducting voter registration, and black voter registration began a sharp increase. The cumulative effect of the Supreme Court’s decisions, Congress’ enactment of voting rights legislation, and the ongoing efforts of concerned private citizens and the Department of Justice, has been to restore the right to vote guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The Voting Rights Act itself has been called the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever passed by

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson, this was to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented Africans-Americans from voting under the fifteenth amendment. The VRA gave African-Americans the right to vote and stating that people are not allowed to do anything to the people of different color or race while they are trying to vote, or forcing them to not vote. The fifteenth amendment was to prohibit states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on race, or color; Still people who do not agree with this were trying to prevent African-Americans from voting.

This document had finally been introduced in 1965 but prior to all that, segregation and racial discrimination continued all throughout. The Voting Rights Act, presented in 1965 and extended in 1970, 1975, and 1982, is commonly measured to be the most effective piece of civil rights by the United States Congress. The act arranges the 15th Amendment’s everlasting assurance that no person shall be disadvantaged of the right to vote even in accordance to race or color.

After so many years of struggles and difficulty, supporters for equality celebrate the way of legislation that forbids racial discrimination. The civil rights act of 1964, ending segregation in public places and prohibit employment discrimination on the part of color, race, religion or origin, is considered one of the accomplishments of the civil rights movement. The leading up to the Civil Rights act was followed by the Civil war which occurred during the years 1861-1865. It was constitutional amendments abolished slavery, and made them slave citizens and gave all men the right to vote, no matter what race they were. The presentation within the civil rights act, was under the act, segregation faced race, religion or origin was banned at all

Tracing back to the time period of the Triangular Trade, African-Americans were brought to America as slaves and were treated as the inferiors. Most of them were not granted for the basic human rights that they deserved. After the Civil Wars, the African- Americans were finally freed form the identity of slaves, but still treated unequally. During the 1950s and 1960s, the era of the Civil Rights Movement has occurred, which involved numerous movements that many of the Africans-Americans participated eagerly. Equal rights, educational opportunities, prohibit discriminations, and end of the segregations were the main focus of these movements. Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of the most important acts that marked the end of the unequal application of voter registration requirement and racial segregation. The most significant events that led to the Civil Rights Act of

After the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the ensuing American Civil War all states where forced to ratify the thirteenth amendment which abolished slavery “within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” In 1870 the fifteenth amendment was passed making it unconstitutional to prohibit voters “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” While the thirteenth and fifteenth amendments made it constitution for African Americans to vote it did not prohibit states from implementing obstructions at voting booths such as poll taxes, literacy test, lineage tracking, and other qualifications. While Plessy v. Ferguson established the separate but equal doctrine which is described as “racially segregated but ostensibly ensuring equal opportunities to all races.” The established doctrine of Separate but Equal was never enforced, and the cries of the neglected fell upon deaf ears until 1954, 58 years after a virtual caste system was established in the Nation of “freedom and equal opportunity” segregating everything from schools to bathrooms because of the color of your skin.

Throughout the Reconstruction period in the United States after the Civil War, African American’s were given many new rights, such as citizenship and the right to vote. One of these new rights was enacted in 1869, the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote. Many southern states, however, did not approve of this new amendment and sought ways to prevent African Americans from voting. Post-confederate, Democratic states found ways to disenfranchise the African American community. Preventive actions ranged in severity from murder and lynching, to fraudulent actions at the ballots, and even enforcing new state laws to prevent African American votes. The newly created Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment were supposed

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, was passed in order to ban discrimination in public places as well as strengthen the role of the federal government to end segregation in public places. Also included in this act was the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which was established in order to ensure racial discrimination was not occurring within employment. The aspect of desegregation was not occurring rapidly in Southern states, such as Alabama. Not only was desegregation not occurring quickly under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but also the act did not address any issues with voting rights among the African-American community. The civil rights movement grew strong in southern regions especially racially tense areas such as Selma. In the city of Selma as well as a variety of other southern regions, African-Americans were harassed when attempting to practice their fundamental rights of voting through poll taxes and literacy tests. In 1965, only 1% of African-Americans were registered to vote in Selma but 50% of Selma’s population was African-American. In order to address the lack of voting rights, Martin Luther King and the SNCC worked vigorously on setting up marches to overcome the injustice that was occurring in Selma. Due to the overly aggressive authorities in the South, a majority of the marches ended violently thus increasing public support for new legislation to ensure the basic right of voting to the African-American

Johnson, had also tried to resolve and diminish problems of prejudice. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which banned discrimination based on race, gender , and religion in all public places. This Act re-enforced the 14th amendment, and played a huge role in achieving rights among African Americans. Another Act he passed was the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed equal voting rights to African Americans. Not only did these acts increase individual rights, many Americans have used it to challenge discrimination and harassment based on race, religion, gender etc. The promise of equality among all Americans sparked the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. Activists had the ability to protest their civil rights since it had been established by Johnson’s

After the Civil War, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendment were added to our constitution in order to protect the civil rights of Americans. The thirteenth amendment ended slavery. The fourteenth tells us that all persons born here are natural citizens, as well as states the rights and protection of both citizens and non-citizens under the law. The fifteenth amendment protects a citizen’s right to vote. These were reinforced by the civil rights acts between 1865 and 1875. These acts allowed the President to enforce these acts with armed forces, criminal penalties to those who would interfere with the right to vote or any of these other rights, and penalties to those who would deny equal enjoyment to public accommodations. Unfortunately, many civil rights court cases, and barriers were put in place to undermine the legislation these amendments and acts were meant to create and the rights they were made to protect. This changed in 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka stated that segregation of schools violates the equal protection act of the fourteenth amendment. This eventually led to several other civil rights movements during the 1950s and 60s. By this time, Congress was finally compelled to pass legislation to support the civil rights movement. This included the Civil rights act of 1964, which banned discrimination on the bases of color, race, religion, gender, and national origin. The Voting act of 1965, which outlawed tests discriminatory tests

Before the Brown vs. Board of Education case in Kansas, many of the segregated African American schools were struggling with a lack of school materials and outdated resources. Many attempts in the past were made to create equal opportunities for all children to pursue their education but failure was a common result. Due to this inequality, members of the NAACP decided to battle the “separate but equal” doctrine surrounding education. To initiate their plan, a group of parents attempted to enroll their children who went to a segregated school into the white school closest to their home and report back once they were denied admission into the white school. With this, the NAACP was able to have crucial evidence for the case. In Topeka, children had to travel further away from schools that were near them because they were designated to African American schools. Outside of Topeka, there were even more problems for African American students such as a facility that was not up to par and a need for basic necessities required for learning. All of these problems were taken into one case with the Topeka incident, which resulted in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka. The US Supreme Court would later issue a unanimous decision stating that it was unconstitutional to segregate children in public schools because of their race. This was a key decision that made history in the movement to create a fair and equal opportunity for all students wanting an education.

It is unfair to be biased and quick to misjudge minorities in America based on the actions of others who fall under the same ethnic or religious background. However these misjudgments occur countless times every day resulting in either physical or verbal abuse against these minorities, as well as encouraging stereotypical views. As odd as it may seem, many members of the police force target these minorities simply because they are not of the same race, gender, or religion. To be more specific African Americans, Muslims, and women are being abused both physically and mentally by intolerant individuals and the police force. Although in some cases an arrest is necessary, the excessive use of force against a person is not and is considered inhumane. Justice is still being sought for the people who have been mistreated and their stories will not be forgotten.

The Voting Rights Act was meant to rectify “a clear and simple wrong.” At the time of the act’s inception, President Johnson declared the VRA’s meaning, “Millions of Americans are denied the right to vote because of their color. This law will ensure them the right to vote.” The Voting Rights Act emancipated more than 700,000 black Southerners. Although African Americans made up only 13 percent of the United States population, they made up 36 percent of the South and a much greater percentage in some states, such as Mississippi and South Carolina. No longer could states generate shrewd new techniques to suppress the vote. The act helped remove literacy tests and other Jim Crow tactics that were in place prior. President Johnson called the act,

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve

The signing of the Voting Rights Act was an exhausting, but huge, win for the Civil Rights Movement and Americans across the country who had been discriminated against and had their rights infringed upon. This new law banned the use of literacy test and poll taxes in all states, in addition to giving the Federal Government oversight of voter registration and elections in specific jurisdictions that were known for or were found interfering with voter rights. The act also required states gain permission from the U.S. Attorney General before changing any voting procedures. Finally, African-American citizens had finally obtained the right to vote and were being protected from discrimination. As President Johnson said during the Voting Rights Act