Conquer It

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are considered landmark legislation in the Civil Rights Movement. For this activity, you will read two primary and two secondary sources of information about the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As you read the articles, you will complete a graphic organizer that assists you in comparing and contrasting the treatment of the Voting Rights Act across the four documents. Once you have completed this task, you may check your answers. Using your completed graphic organizer as a reference, you will complete a series of questions at the end of this module.

Download the following graphic organizer and readings to use in the activity that follows.

Graphic organizer for Conquer It

Comparing and Contrasting Primary and Secondary Sources on the Topic of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Graphic Organizer

Readings on the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Secondary Source #1: Background Information on the Voting Rights Actopens in new window

Secondary Source #2: Supreme Courts Invalidate Key Parts of the Voting Rights Actopens in new window

Primary Source #1: President Lyndon Johnson’s speech to Congress on Voting Rightsopens in new window

Primary Source #2: Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks on the Supreme Court Decision in Shelby County v. Holderopens in new window

Complete the graphic organizer using information from the readings on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Select Show Answer to review the accurate responses.

Next, use the information in the graphic organizer to answer the following questions.