Voting Rights Act Signed Into Law 48 Years Ago Today

Voting Rights Act Signed Into Law 48 Years Ago Today

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the historic Voting Rights Act into law 48 years ago today.

Widely views as the most successful civil rights legislation, the VRA was gutted in June 2013 when the Supreme Court struck down Section 4, the provision of the landmark civil rights law that designates which parts of the country must have changes to their voting laws cleared by the federal government or in federal court.

Below, a photo of Johnson handing Senator Robert F. Kennedy a pen from the signing:

lbj rfk voting rights act

(Photo: LBJ Library)

Before You Go

President Barack Obama

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