Positives of the civil rights movement (Voting Rights Act Of 1965)

 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark act in America that aimed to conquer the systemic barriers holding back African Americans and other  groups of minority from using their right to vote. Serving as an extension of both the Civil Rights Movement and the Act of 1965, it played a primitive role in ensuring political equality for millions of U.S. citizens who were being actively stripped of their full right as an American. The passage of the Voting Rights Act represented not only legal victory, but a positive shift in our political and social dynamic that empowered communities and led to even greater changes in American democracy. 

Prior to the Voting Rights Act, these rights were heavily restricted by various discriminatory tactics, especially in the south. Despite the 15th Amendment, which had been passed in 1870 guaranteeing voting rights regardless of ethnicity. Black people in the South were still being disenfranchised through practices such as poll taxes which black people couldn't afford, literacy tests that challenged their ability to read and write which was common knowledge that they couldn't, and outright violence. Local governments applied methods like these to sustain and add onto obstacles that Black citizens which already facing, and attempt to block their efforts of registering to vote. Although African Americans were legally allowed to vote, they faced such hostile and violent opponent that they were prevented from even attempting to do so. 

By the early 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement had gained significant momentum, and everyone in the movement were demanding action. Events such as "Bloody Sunday," when peaceful protesters were brutally attacked by police and the Montgomery bus boycott, where black people refused to use the public transportation system in order to voice against segregation—served as a powerful catalyst for change. The images of these violent confrontations that white people responded with were broadcasted around the world, gaining international attention to the injustice that African Americans were facing, and generating widespread public support for federal intervention.

In response to the demands for change, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The law aimed  to eliminate the legal and administrative roadblocks that suppressed Black voters and ensured that all citizens, regardless of color, would finally have equal access to the voting polls. A major provision of the Act was the suspension of literacy tests and other discriminatory voting tactics  particularly in areas with a history of black voter disenfranchisement..

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act also served as one of the most significant provisions, requiring certain states and local governments (mostly in the South) to get federal approval, before changing their voting laws or practices. This provision was put in place to prevent local government officers from executing new measures that could in any way discriminate against voters based on race. The law also provided federal oversight in areas where there had been a pattern of these racial based preventative practices. 

The passing of the Voting Rights Act was an crucial development in the Civil Rights Movement and had extensive consequences for American society. It helped dismantle the legal basis of segregation and racial inequality that had infected the nation for hundreds of years. This passing positively affected the nation in multiple ways including increased voting population raising by more than 50%, created a more diverse political representation, strengthened our democracy by making the government accountable to all of its citizens and not just a privileged portion, tackling racial discrimination as well as serving as a catalyst for further civil rights progression such as The fair housing act of 1968 and the allowance of black officials being elected in the near future.

In conclusion The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been recognized as a essential development in the Civil Rights Movement that ensured African Americans and other suppressed minority groups could participate fully in the practice of democracy. It marked a shift toward a more just, equal, and inclusive society, leading to increased political participation, greater diversity in government offices, and furthermore lasting changes in the way that the United States approaches civil rights. Though challenges still remained, the Voting Rights Act remains one of the single most important pieces of  legislation in American history, and reminds us that the struggle for equality and justice is an ongoing endeavor.