Speech #910048296

Came then the Civil War and after that the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The 14th amendment forbade any State from abridging the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States. and the 15th amendment provided very specifically that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be abridged or denied either by the United States or by any State on account of race. color. or previous condition of servitude. But literacy tests were imposed and enforced in many States. Today there are still 20 States which prescribe literacy tests as a qualification for voting. In some States they are ignored or simply not enforced. This includes seven Southern States where the application of a literacy test is suspended by the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was in 1957. when a new conscience made itself felt in the United States. resulting in the creation of a Civil Rights Commission to explore the whole question. Later came the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and the broader act of 1964. These were followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Commission on Civil Rights consisted of outstanding talent and it made a thorough examination of the matter. Its voluminous report rather clearly indicates that the use of the literacy test made voting something of a farce in certain areas. A person with little education would be asked to read the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and then explain what they meant. When the committees of Congress came to deal with the voting rights problem there was. therefore. a vast body of material available to aid in a viable. feasible solution. They finally agreed on a formula. In those States which had literacy tests. if 50 percent of those old enough to vote were either not registered or did not vote in the November 1964. election. the literacy test was suspended. These tests could be reimposed if the State or county could show that the tests were not used for purposes of discrimination. Gaston County.