Selma And Voting Rights Acts 1965 Flashcards
When was the Voting Rights Act?
6th August 1965.
What did the Act set up?
One voting registration requirement, enforced by federal government; or states with federal approval. Federal officers to run voter registration in any state and all with under 50% qualified to vote were registered.
How many voters were registered by the end of 1965?
Federal registrars had enrolled 79,593 voters.
Why were black people frustrated by now?
About how far campaigning has actually improved their lives.
Why was voting so slow now?
Because federal officers were trying to impose black voter registration in areas that did not want black people to vote.
Where was Selma?
Alabama.
What was the largest group in Selma
WCC
Who did local groups in Selma invite? Why?
They invited the SCLC and King to campaign in Selma.
When did SCLC and King arrive in Selma?
January 1965.
What was happening at the time of King’s arrival in Selma?
Johnson was stressing the need for a Voting Rights Act.
What was the protests in Selma against?
People protested against the voter registration tests.
What were protestors planning on doing on Sunday 7 March?
About 600 protestors set out to march from Selma to Montgomery.
Who stopped the 600 protestors? How?
State troopers, stopped them at the Edmund Pettus Bridge (just outside Selma). They fired tear gas and attacked protestors with electric cattle prods.
What did events in Selma lead to in Congress?
In both parts of Congress, many spoke against violence and in favour of voter registration.
What executive order did Johnson use for protestors in Selma?
Federalised the national state guard. They then escorted the marchers from Selma to Montgomery.
