Voting Rights Act of 1965
Definition
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.
Analogy
Think of the Voting Rights Act as a referee in a soccer game. Just like how a referee ensures fair play and penalizes foul behavior, this act was put into place to ensure fairness in voting by prohibiting any form of racial discrimination.
Related terms
Civil Rights Act of 1964: This is another significant U.S. civil rights law that outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Jim Crow Laws: These were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Selma March: A series of three protest marches along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capital Montgomery, which were instrumental in achieving the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
"Voting Rights Act of 1965" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (4)
- What was the main goal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 had a significant impact on what?
- What might have happened if President Lyndon B. Johnson hadn't signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
- What was one significant impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
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