Voting Rights Act of 1965 AP History Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 📜 Purpose: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed by the 15th Amendment.
• 🔑 Key Provisions:
  • 🚫 Outlawed discriminatory voting practices, such as literacy tests.
  • ⚖️ Authorized federal oversight of voter registration in areas with a history of discrimination.
  • 🏛️ Empowered the Attorney General to challenge poll taxes.
• 🗺️ Impact: Led to a dramatic increase in African American voter registration and participation in elections.
• 📅 Key Year: 1965 – The year the Voting Rights Act was passed.
• 🛡️ 15th Amendment: The Voting Rights Act is built upon the 15th Amendment which prohibits the denial or abridgment of the right of citizens of the United States to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
• 🗣️ Leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders played a crucial role in advocating for the Act.

📝 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following was a primary goal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
   1. A. To establish a national voter registration system.
   2. B. To eliminate discriminatory voting practices and ensure African Americans could exercise their right to vote.
   3. C. To lower the voting age to 18.
   4. D. To provide funding for political campaigns.
2. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution is most directly related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
   1. A. 1st Amendment
   2. B. 10th Amendment
   3. C. 15th Amendment
   4. D. 19th Amendment
3. What discriminatory voting practice was specifically outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
   1. A. Gerrymandering
   2. B. Literacy tests
   3. C. Poll taxes (outlawed by the 24th amendment but challenged by the VRA)
   4. D. Grandfather clauses
4. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized federal oversight of voter registration in areas with a history of what?
   1. A. High voter turnout
   2. B. Political corruption
   3. C. Discrimination
   4. D. Economic inequality
5. Who played a significant role in advocating for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
   1. A. Malcolm X
   2. B. Martin Luther King Jr.
   3. C. George Wallace
   4. D. Strom Thurmond
6. What was a major impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
   1. A. Decrease in overall voter turnout
   2. B. Dramatic increase in African American voter registration and participation
   3. C. Shift in political party dominance in the North
   4. D. Reduction in the power of the federal government
7. Which of the following best describes the main function of the Voting Rights Act?
   1. A. To regulate campaign finance.
   2. B. To prevent racial discrimination in voting.
   3. C. To establish term limits for elected officials.
   4. D. To ensure fair housing practices.