The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is directly connected to the Black suffrage laws passed after the Civil War. After the Civil War, during the Reconstruction era, several Black suffrage laws were enacted to grant African Americans the right to vote. These laws aimed to ensure equal voting rights irrespective of race, particularly in the Southern states where discrimination and disenfranchisement of Black voters were prevalent.
However, over time, many Southern states implemented discriminatory practices such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses to circumvent these Black suffrage laws and prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote. These practices were collectively known as the black codes or Jim Crow laws.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted as a response to these discriminatory practices and aimed to combat racial discrimination in voting. The Act prohibits any state from implementing practices that deny or abridge the right to vote on the basis of race or color. It specifically prevents states from using literacy tests, which were commonly used to suppress Black votes.
In summary, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 directly addresses and seeks to rectify the discriminatory practices and obstacles to Black suffrage that were put in place by the black codes enacted after the Civil War.
How does the Voting Rights Act of 1965 connect to Black suffrage laws passed after the Civil War?
The Voting Rights Act guarantees equal protection under the laws.
The Voting Rights Act prevents states from using the black codes developed after the Civil War.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the use of literacy tests by states.
The Voting Rights Act prohibits a state from preventing someone from voting because of their race.
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