Description
This photograph by Warren Leffler shows African-American demonstrators outside the White House, with signs reading "We demand the right to vote, everywhere" and protesting police brutality against civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama. On August 6, 1965, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. This law gave the federal government the authority and funding to ensure that all legal-age citizens were allowed to vote in all states, without obstructions such as literacy tests, thus fully enacting the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Transcript of Signs from African-American Demonstrators
Source-Dependent Questions
- How many years separated the passage of the 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Refer to "Voter Registration Literacy Test" and draw conclusions about why African Americans were protesting. The Voting Rights Act gave the federal government the authority and funding to ensure that all legal-age citizens were allowed to vote in all states, without obstructions such as literacy tests, thus fully enacting the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- After looking at this photo, refer to the "Distribution of the Colored Population of the United States" map. What conclusions can be drawn about why places like Selma, Alabama, were hotbed locations for African-American suffrage.
Citation Information
Leffler, Warren K., "[African American demonstrators outside the White House, with signs "We demand the right to vote, everywhere" and signs protesting police brutality against civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama]," 12 March 1965. Courtesy of Library of Congress