What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aim to eliminate?

• A. Discriminatory voting practices
• B. Job discrimination
• C. Segregation in schools
• D. Housing discrimination

Answer: (A)

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation aimed specifically at addressing and eliminating discriminatory voting practices that had historically been used to disenfranchise African American voters and other minority groups, particularly in Southern states.

Before the Act, various tactics such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and understanding clauses were employed to suppress the voting rights of these groups. The Voting Rights Act outlawed these discriminatory practices and aimed to ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, had the right to vote. It also provided for federal oversight and monitoring of voter registration and election procedures in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination, thereby reinforcing the constitutional right to vote for all citizens.

In contrast, while job discrimination, segregation in schools, and housing discrimination are significant issues in the civil rights movement, they fall under different legislative protections and initiatives separate from the specific focus of the Voting Rights Act. Thus, the Act's primary aim was to combat discriminatory voting practices directly affecting electoral participation.