
56 years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, lawmakers struggle to find common ground
CNN
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law on August 6, 1965.
The legislation served to protect and enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments of the Constitution. It was enacted in response to voter suppression in the 1960s by state governments, local governments and law enforcement, and prohibited states from denying a person the right to vote based on race or color and banned discriminatory literacy tests. The monumental law was prompted by a series of civil rights movements and events. Most notably, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March in Alabama, which resulted in about 600 non-violent protestors being attacked by state troopers in Selma. The events of that day have since been referred to as 'Bloody Sunday.'More Related News