Final answer:
In the year 1955 in Alabama, individuals living in poverty, including African Americans, faced significant obstacles to voting due to literacy tests and poll taxes. However, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought positive changes by prohibiting literacy tests and ensuring the registration of black voters.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the year 1955, if you lived in Alabama and were living in poverty, you would have faced obstacles in exercising your right to vote due to the literacy test and poll taxes implemented in the Southern states. African Americans were targeted and often denied the right to vote through these measures. However, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought significant changes by prohibiting literacy tests and providing federal examiners to register black voters. This act played a crucial role in increasing the number of black voters in the South.