The first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, that protected voting rights and signaled the government’s new involvement in the civil rights struggle

Answer 1

was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This landmark legislation was passed to address the widespread and systemic disenfranchisement of African American voters in the southern states. The Voting Rights Act prohibited the use of discriminatory voter registration practices, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, and provided federal oversight of voting practices in states with a history of voter discrimination. The passage of the Voting Rights Act marked a significant step forward in the fight for civil rights in the United States and helped to ensure that all citizens had equal access to the voting booth.