"We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to enforce the 15th amendment, which prohibited the United States from denying anyone the right to vote based on color or gender. It helped to get African Americans voting rights by changing some of the rules that were being put on voting. This act eliminated literacy tests, which was one of the leading reasons that African Americans were not able to vote. This act also made poll taxing illegal. Poll taxes forced voters to pay in order to become registered to vote. After this act was passed, the amount of African American voters went up immensely; however, some were still afraid to vote because they feared that they would become victims of the brutality of those who did not approve of the newly established changes.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to enforce the 15th amendment, which prohibited the United States from denying anyone the right to vote based on color or gender. It helped to get African Americans voting rights by changing some of the rules that were being put on voting. This act eliminated literacy tests, which was one of the leading reasons that African Americans were not able to vote. This act also made poll taxing illegal. Poll taxes forced voters to pay in order to become registered to vote. After this act was passed, the amount of African American voters went up immensely; however, some were still afraid to vote because they feared that they would become victims of the brutality of those who did not approve of the newly established changes.