Suffrage & Civil Rights

1. Suffrage & Civil Rights

2. Suffrage & Civil Rights

3. Civil Rights • In the 1960’s civil rights workers suffered beatings, arrests, shocks and death all so that every American can vote.

4. The Fifteenth Amendment • Ratified in 1870. • Allowed Free Blacks the right to vote. • No one in the United States can be denied the vote based on race, color or previous conditions of servitude. • For 90 years this amendment was ignored by the federal government. • Many Blacks were denied their rights to vote during this time frame.

5. The Fifteenth Amendment • Literacy tests were used to keep Blacks from voting in the South. • Poll taxes, white primaries and gerrymandering were also tactics used to keep Blacks from voting. • White primaries were generally in the South run by the Democratic party. • Democrats refused to allow Blacks into the party.

6. The Fifteenth Amendment • 1944 – Smith vAllwright, the SCOTUS outlawed the white primary. • 1960 – Gomillionv Lightfoot, SCOTUS outlawed gerrymandering strictly for race . • The SCOTUS outlawed these due to violation of the 15th Amendment. • Finally through the Civil Rights Mvmt led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were the sections intended to protect Black voting rights enforced.

7. Early Civil Rights Legislation • Civil Rights Act of 1957 established the US Civil Rights Commission. • Looked into claims of discrimination. • Reported to the POTUS, Congress and to the public. • Gave power to the US Atty . General the right through court order to protect a person’s right to vote in any general election.

8. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Outlawed discrimination in regards to job related matters. • Forbid the literacy test in voting and voter registration. • Relied on injunctions which compels or restrains the actions of a public or private individual in regards to voting. • A violation of this results in a fine or imprisonment.

9. Civil Rights Act of 1964 • The March in Selma was an attempt to register Blacks to vote. • Some of the marchers were beat, jailed and killed. • Brought the focus on the injustice of Blacks to the nation.

10. Voting Rights Act of 1965. • Finally made the 15th amendment part of the Constitution. • Originally to be in effect for 5 years. Has been extended 3 times. • Extended again in 2007. • Law ended the poll tax, literacy test. Appointed voting examiners in states where less than 50% of voters in 1964 voted. • Gave federal authorities power to register voters in these areas.

11. Voting Rights Act of 1965 • No laws or changing of election laws could go in effect in any of the States without the preclearance of the Dept. of Justice. • Only laws that do not weaken the voting rights of minorities did not require preclearance. • No State under the VRA can do the following w/o preclearance: • Location of polling places • Boundaries of election districts • Deadlines in the election process • From ward or district election to at-large • Qualifications needed to run for office.

12. Amendments to the VRA • In 1975 the literacy tests ban was made permanent. • Voter examiner & preclearance were made in States that had a 5 % or more minority in voting age population. • Law also applied to language minorities.