Voting Rights Act of 1965
As previously stated on our home page, this bill was proposed to congress by President Lyndon Johnson. This bill would prohibit any states from putting restrictions on voting besides though set down in the constitution, for example states could not make people pay a fee to vote or pass a literacy test. Martin Luther King Jr lead two marches starting in Selma, Alabama. King's goal was to rid Alabama of Literary tests for good. The marches were going from Selma to Alabama's capital, Montgomery. The first march took place on March 7th, 1965, this marched was stopped by the police before it started, and President Johnson got word of the violence in Selma. The second march was on March 21st, 1965, and the marchers were protected by the national guard, ordered by Lyndon Johnson. The bill was passed on August 6th, 1965 and took off any restrictions that were put on voting for black people.