The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. It banned literacy tests, established federal oversight in jurisdictions particularly prone to voter discrimination, and directed the federal government to investigate poll taxes in state and local elections. The Act significantly increased the number of African Americans registered to vote, especially in the South.

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**Think Further Questions:
1. Why is voting important? Why do some groups hope to disenfranchise members of minority populations?
2. President Johnson and Congress were pushed to consider voting rights legislation in part because of the violence suffered by activists. Was there any other way to get them to understand how important the issue was? Have there been other times in history where change was precipitated by unprovoked violence against activists?
3. Why might poll taxes have disproportionately hurt African Americans, especially those whose families had previously been enslaved?

**Contents
00:00 - Introduction
00:19 - Explanation
00:56 - Voting Rights Act of 1965
01:16 - The History
03:14 - So What?

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