The Voting Rights Act of 1965

What happened

On 6 August 1965 President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed the literacy tests and other devices used to keep Black citizens from voting and empowered federal officials to register voters. By the end of the year, a quarter-million new Black voters had registered.

Why it matters

The Voting Rights Act finally secured the ballot for millions of Black Americans and is often called the most effective civil rights law ever passed.

Sources

• National Archives. Voting Rights Act (1965) · Primary source