Bell Ringers

Bell Ringer: Voting Rights Act

Voting Rights Act

Guests discuss Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Description

Guests discuss the history of the Voting Rights Act and the Section 5 provision which says that states and localities with a history of disenfranchising minorities, mainly in the South, must get federal approval before changing their voting procedures.

Bell Ringer Assignment

  • Why was the Voting Rights Act put into place?
  • What does Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act say?
  • Ari Berman and Hans Von Spakovsky provide their perspectives on whether or not Section 5 is crucial today. Explain their positions.

Participants

Vocabulary

  • 15th Amendment
  • Abolish
  • Abridge
  • Certitude
  • Disenfranchise
  • Jim Crow
  • Literacy Test
  • Ratify
  • Shelby County V. Holder
  • Voter Suppression

Topics

Civil Rights & Civil LibertiesU.S. History

Grades

Middle SchoolHigh SchoolUniversity