Foreword
On March 15, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson proposed voting rights legislation to a joint session of Congress, stating: “There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong — deadly wrong — to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.” After months of debate, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and on August 6, Johnson signed it into law. The history of the VRA dates back to the end of the Civil War, when constitutional amendments were adopted that addressed…
