LiberationPrimary SourceFBA Grio Verified Source

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Name: Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Report)
Author: National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders

United States Congress

1965

Liberation

3-Minute Summary

Prohibited discriminatory voting practices that had disenfranchised Black voters for nearly a century. Section 5 required jurisdictions with histories of discrimination to obtain federal preclearance before changing voting laws — a provision gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Why It Matters

The Voting Rights Act restored what the 15th Amendment had promised in 1870. Its partial dismantling in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) demonstrates that civil rights gains are not permanent without continued vigilance.

Important Passages

'No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.'

Where to Read

Congress.gov (free)

Verified: National Archives, Congress.gov

Key People

Lyndon B. Johnson

John Lewis

Fannie Lou Hamer

Selma marchers

Key Policies & Events

Section 5 preclearanceLiteracy test banFederal examinersShelby County v. Holder (2013)

Related FBA Leaders

John Lewis Fannie Lou Hamer

Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Report)

National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders

1968

Economics

3-Minute Summary

Commissioned by President Johnson after the urban uprisings of 1967, the Kerner Report concluded that America was 'moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.' It identified white racism as the primary cause of urban poverty and unrest.

Why It Matters

The Kerner Report is the most important government document on structural racism in American history. Its findings were largely ignored. Reading it today reveals how little has changed — and how clearly the government understood the problem it refused to address.

Important Passages

'Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.'

'White racism is essentially responsible for the explosive mixture which has been accumulating in our cities since the end of World War II.'

Where to Read

Eisenhower Foundation (free PDF)

Verified: National Archives

Key People

Otto Kerner

Lyndon B. Johnson

Roy Wilkins

Edward Brooke

Key Policies & Events

Urban renewalHousing discriminationPolice brutalityEmployment discrimination

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