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The history of voting rights for Black Americans traces a long battle for equal voting representation, as afforded to their white counterparts. This struggle reflects both progress and setbacks throughout U.S. history. CNW felt it an important subject to address because the discussions we hear, participate in, and overhear often reveal misinformation and ignorance about our fight for the right to vote as equal, contributing Americans, a right granted by the Constitution of the United States.
In casual commentary, we've heard statements implying that Black Americans were not granted the right to vote until 1965. Be clear—this is not the truth for the nation as a whole. While it’s true that systemic suppression, especially in the South, prevented us from exercising our Constitutional right, Black Americans were legally entitled to vote well before 1965.
Here’s a summary of major events and milestones on the long road to equal suffrage.
Before the Civil War, Black Americans had no consistent voting rights, particularly in Southern states where slavery was legal and enslaved individuals were considered property. In some Northern states, free Black men could vote, but this was rare and often subject to restrictive conditions.
After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, granting Black men the right to vote by stating that voting rights could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” This milestone occurred when the progressive wing of the Republican Party controlled Congress in the decade following the U.S. Civil War, known as the Reconstruction Era. During this time, Black men in the South voted in large numbers and even held public office. Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce became the first African Americans elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Mississippi. However, after their terms, the next Black senator, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, was not elected until nearly a century later in 1967.
When Reconstruction ended with the withdrawal of federal troops from former Confederate states in 1877, the white supremacist wing of the Democratic Party gained dominance in the South. Voting rights for Black men in these states were rescinded through court rulings and state and local laws, as Southern states quickly enacted Jim Crow laws to suppress Black voting rights. These laws included:
- Poll taxes: Fees required to vote, which were financially burdensome for many Black citizens.
- Literacy tests: Unfairly administered to disqualify Black voters.
- Grandfather clauses: Restricted voting to those whose ancestors could vote before the Civil War, excluding most Black citizens. This clause effectively disenfranchised Black men, as they had not been granted the right to vote before the 15th Amendment.
Violence and intimidation were also common tactics to discourage Black voters, effectively disenfranchising most Black people in the South.
During the Great Migration, millions of Black Americans moved from the South to Northern and Western cities, where voting rights were better protected. In these new regions, Black communities gained political power, influencing both local and national elections.
The Civil Rights Movement sought to end racial discrimination and restore voting rights for Black Americans in the South.
Key events included:
- 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts: These laws aimed to protect voting rights, but enforcement was weak.
- Voting Rights Act of 1965: A landmark victory, this act banned literacy tests and allowed federal oversight of voter registration in areas with a history of discrimination. It greatly increased Black voter turnout and representation in the South.
While white men aged 21 and older who owned property were granted the right to vote in 1776, the 15th Amendment removed racial barriers to voting in 1870. However, states continued to use discriminatory practices to deny Black voters access to the polls. White women gained the right to vote in 1920. It wasn’t until 1965, after years of intimidation, violence, and activism, that the path to the voting booth was finally cleared for Black Americans with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Just eight days after Martin Luther King, Jr. led a peaceful civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his intention to pass a federal Voting Rights Act to ensure that no federal, state, or local government could impede citizens from voting based on race or ethnicity. He signed the Voting Rights Act into law later that year, banning racially discriminatory practices in voting, including literacy tests. “It is wrong, deadly wrong, to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country," Johnson said in a 1965 presidential address. "There is no issue of states' rights or national rights; there is only the struggle for human rights.”
Originally, legislators hoped that within five years of its passage, the issues addressed by the 1965 Voting Rights Act would be resolved, eliminating the need for its enforcement provisions. They were mistaken. Congress had to extend these provisions in 1970, 1975, 1982, and most recently in 2007—for an additional 25 years.
Key enforcement measures included:
- Preclearance Requirements: Certain jurisdictions with a history of voter disenfranchisement were required to obtain “preclearance” from the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court in D.C. before making changes to voting practices or procedures. These jurisdictions had to prove that the proposed change did not deny or infringe on the right to vote based on race or color.
- Language Assistance: Added to the Voting Rights Act in 1975, this provision requires certain jurisdictions to provide language assistance to voters in communities where a concentration of citizens are not proficient in English, ensuring they can fully participate in the electoral process.
- Federal Election Examiners and Observers: These measures were put in place in certain jurisdictions where there was evidence of attempts to intimidate minority voters at the polls.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 remains one of the most important safeguards for Black Americans and other minority groups in protecting the right to vote. Access to the vote is a civil right for all. The most recent effort to further strengthen voting rights is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, introduced in Congress in early 2019. The bill was renamed in honor of the late civil rights activist and long-time House Representative, John R. Lewis (D-GA).
After the Voting Rights Act, Black voter participation surged, though challenges continued, especially in Southern states. Recent years have seen new obstacles to voting access for minorities, such as:
- Shelby County v. Holder (2013): In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that key parts of the Voting Rights Act were unconstitutional, removing the requirement for some states to get federal approval before changing voting laws. This decision led to new voter ID laws and other measures that critics argue disproportionately affect Black voters.
Black voters continue to be a crucial demographic in U.S. elections, with high turnout impacting key races. However, the fight against voter suppression is ongoing, as laws related to voter ID requirements, voter roll purges, and limited polling access remain hotly debated.
The journey of Black voting rights in the U.S. thus reflects both hard-won advancements and continual challenges. From the 15th Amendment to the Voting Rights Act to right now, the progress made has often been met with resistance, leading to an ongoing fight for full access to democratic participation.
Black men were granted the right to vote in 1870 with the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous servitude. However, despite this legal protection, many Black men were effectively disenfranchised, especially in the South, due to discriminatory practices like literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation.
Black women, along with all American women, were granted the right to vote in 1920 through the 19th Amendment. However, Black women, particularly in the South, faced similar voter suppression tactics as Black men and were often prevented from voting. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that federal law began to effectively dismantle many of these barriers, making voting more accessible for Black Americans of both genders.
In the U.S., voter suppression remains a significant topic of concern and debate. It includes a range of practices that may restrict or discourage certain groups from voting, whether intentionally or as an unintended consequence of election policies. Key issues currently include:
1. Strict Voter ID Laws: Some states require specific forms of photo identification to vote, which can disproportionately affect low-income, minority, elderly, and student voters who may not have the necessary ID or may face barriers to obtaining it.
2. Voter Roll Purges: States periodically remove inactive or ineligible voters from their registration lists. However, errors in purges can lead to eligible voters being removed by mistake, disproportionately affecting minority communities.
3. Polling Place Closures and Reductions: In some areas, particularly minority and low-income neighborhoods, polling places have been closed or consolidated, leading to long wait times and making it more difficult for some people to vote, especially those without flexible schedules or reliable transportation.
4. Limits on Early Voting and Mail-In Voting: Restrictions on early voting days and mail-in voting can disproportionately impact people who cannot easily vote on Election Day due to work, family, or health reasons.
5. Gerrymandering: While not directly about the right to vote, gerrymandering — the manipulation of district boundaries for political advantage — can dilute the influence of certain voters by clustering them in certain districts or spreading them across many districts.
6. Felony Disenfranchisement: Laws that prevent those with felony convictions from voting, either temporarily or permanently, disproportionately impact communities of color and further complicate efforts to reintegrate individuals into society.
These issues impact American democracy by limiting the political power and representation of affected communities and skewing electoral outcomes. There is an ongoing debate about how to balance election security with broad and fair access to voting, a foundational right in a democratic society.
1. Carl Stokes (Cleveland, Ohio) - Elected in 1967, Stokes became the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city.
2. Richard G. Hatcher (Gary, Indiana) - Also elected in 1967, Hatcher served Gary and became one of the first Black mayors of a major city alongside Stokes.
3. Kenneth A. Gibson (Newark, New Jersey) - Elected in 1970, Gibson was the first Black mayor of Newark.
4. Tom Bradley (Los Angeles, California) - Elected in 1973, Bradley was the first Black mayor of Los Angeles and one of the longest-serving, with five terms.
5. Maynard Jackson (Atlanta, Georgia) - Elected in 1973, Jackson was the first Black mayor of Atlanta and helped transform the city economically.
6. Coleman Alexander Young - Elected mayor of Detroit, Michigan, in 1974 and served until 1994.
7. Harold Washington - Elected Chicago’s 51st mayor in 1983, he was re-elected in 1986 and died in office in November 1987.
1. P. B. S. Pinchback (Louisiana) - In 1872, Pinchback became the first Black governor of any U.S. state, serving as acting governor for 35 days after the governor was removed from office.
2. Douglas Wilder (Virginia) - Elected in 1989, Wilder became the first Black governor elected by popular vote in the United States.
3. Deval Patrick (Massachusetts) - Elected in 2006, Patrick became the second Black elected governor.
4. David Paterson (New York) - Became governor in 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned, making Paterson the third Black governor and the second to serve by succession.
5. Wes Moore (Maryland) - Elected in 2022, Moore is Maryland’s first Black governor and the fifth Black governor in U.S. history.
The first African American to hold the highest office as the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was elected in 2008.
These leaders were pioneers in breaking racial barriers in U.S. political history and left lasting impacts on their cities and states.
Visionary Kai EL´ Zabar has worked as CEO of arts organizations and as editor, writer and multimedia consultant accumulating a significant number of years in experience as an executive, journalist,publisher, public relations, media training, marketing, internal and external communications. Kai currently continues her life’s work as Editor-in-Chief Of Chicago News Weekly where she has resumed her column, “E NOTES.” She is ecstatic to be in the position to grace Chicago and the world with a publication that articulates the Black voice.