Barack Obama made history as the first Black president of the United States in 2009. But the journey to this monumental achievement was fraught with challenges and struggles for African Americans. In the aftermath of the Civil War, with the abolition of slavery formalised by the 13th Amendment in 1865, approximately 4 million freed Black Americans were eager to secure their place as full citizens, including the critical right to vote. The path to achieving this right, however, was anything but straightforward.
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, aimed to prohibit the denial of voting rights based on race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. Despite this constitutional guarantee, many states employed tactics such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices to disenfranchise Black voters. This effectively re-established the oppressive Black Codes, evolving into Jim Crow laws, and enforcing racial segregation and systemic inequality for nearly a century. Several activists were even killed in their efforts to secure voter registration during this period.
Local laws enforced racial segregation across public facilities, creating a “separate but equal” society where schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants were divided along racial lines.
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s brought these injustices to light, leading to significant legislative victories. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, sought to eliminate poll taxes in federal elections, further advancing voting rights for African Americans.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to dismantle the barriers that long prevented African-Americans from voting. This landmark legislation resulted in a surge in Black voter registration and participation.
But even after the Voting Rights Act, the fight for equitable voting rights continued. In 2013, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby v. Holder struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, resulting in renewed efforts by some states to impose restrictions that disproportionately affected minority voters.
