Question

In 1965, in the seven states of the old confederacy covered by the voting rights act (vra), approximately ____ percent of the eligible black residents were registered to vote, compared with approximately ____ percent of the white residents.

Answer 1

Percentages in March of 1965, according to US Commission for Civil Rights, were: 1. Alabama, black residents 20%, white residents 70%. 2. Georgia, black residents 25%, white residents 62%. 3. Louisiana, black residents 30%, white residents 80%. 4. Mississippi, black residents 8%, white residents 70%. 5. North Carolina, black residents 46%, white residents 97%. 6. South Carolina, black residents 38%, white residents 78%. 7. Virginia, black residents 38%, white residents 61%.

Answer 2

Answer: In 1965, in the seven states of the old confederacy covered by the voting rights act (vra), approximately 29.3 percent of the eligible black residents were registered to vote, compared with approximately 73.4 percent of the white residents.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a piece of legislation signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was passed at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The act was designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution, and it was particularly important in the South.