Historical Event
The event that will be of most interest to me in this project is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act was significant because it helped to level the playing field and help marginalized Americans get the chance to take part in civic processes ( Parker, 2019) . Prior to the Act, the 15 th Amendment was the most notable advocate for the rights of Americans. The 15 th Amendment had, however, left out some groups in the American public who were still being denied the right to have a say in public affairs.
Secondary Sources
To get the secondary sources, I used search terms such as Voting Rights Act of 1965, the civil rights movement, African American political history and US 20 th Century Political history . After using these search terms within the Shapiro library and on other search platforms, I identified two sources that will play an important role in helping to achieve a successful completion to this project.
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Laurie Collier Hillstrom. (2009). The Voting Rights Act of 1965 . Omnigraphics, Inc.
This source describes the events that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The book highlights the racial discrimination that was going on within the U.S and the role this played in leading to public clamour for equality. The book touches on the efforts made by the civil rights movement including those of social reformer and activist Martin Luther King Jr. It mainly focuses on the events of 1964, the events that took place during the passing of the act and the reforms that were brought about by the act. It also recounts the events of the Bloody Sunday, a day when the police brutally assaulted peaceful marchers, and the importance of such events to the passing of the act.
Cascio, E. U., & Washington, E. (2013). Valuing the Vote: The Redistribution of Voting Rights and State Funds following the Voting Rights Act of 1965 *. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129 (1), 379–433
This source mainly focuses on the consequences of the act. The article focuses on the increase in voter registration in the South of the US after the act was passed. The source also focuses on the increased financial capabilities that were enjoyed by blacks in the aftermath of the act. Initially, the social, civic and economic segregation vented upon the blacks had denied them the financial capability to spend like the other social demographics in the United States. The article highlights that there were increased levels of spending among blacks as a result of an increased economic involvement.
Similarities and reasons for selection
The two sources were selected mainly because of the manner in which they contextualize the Voting Act of 1965. While Hillstrom (2009) focuses mainly on the events preceding the act and the effect they had on the federal government and the U.S congress at the time, Cascio & Washington (2013) pay closer attention to the consequences of the act and the social reforms that came after the act was passed into law. The two sources will, therefore, help to get a good understanding of the improvements of the voting act of 1965 on the 15 th Amendment. It will also highlight the social and economic changes that came about as a result.
Research Question
What is the long-term effect of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on minority group's representation in the United States?
The question has been selected based on the information gotten from the two sources mentioned above and other sources that were consulted. Preliminary research has shown that the 1960s were a period of great social distress in the United States (Lewis & Lewis, 2009) . Minority groups intensified their efforts to try and get the freedoms and rights that they fully deserved. With developments in media and communication, people across the country started taking notice of things that were actually happening within the US ( Shally-Jensen, 2015) . The research question will therefore help to contextualize these factors and find out just how helpful the act was in helping minority groups to achieve some levels of equality.
References
Cascio, E. U., & Washington, E. (2013). Valuing the Vote: The Redistribution of Voting Rights and State Funds following the Voting Rights Act of 1965 *. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129 (1), 379–433. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjt028
Lewis, C.M., & Lewis, J.R. (2009). Jim Crow America: A Documentary History . University of Arkansas Press.
Hillstrom, L.C. (2009). The Voting Rights Act of 1965 . Omnigraphics, Inc.
Shally-Jensen, M. (2015). Civil Rights: (1954-2015): Vol. [First edition] . Salem Press.
Parker, T. (2019). Department Stores and the Black Freedom Movement: Workers, Consumers, and Civil Rights From the 1930s to the 1980s . The University of North Carolina Press
