Lyndon B. Johnson - Address to Congress on Voting Rights - 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson's "Address to Congress on Voting Rights" was delivered on March 15, 1965, to urge Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. In this speech, Johnson highlighted the injustices faced by African Americans in their efforts to vote and called for legislation to eliminate these discriminatory practices. Johnson began by acknowledging the progress that had been made in the fight for civil rights, but emphasized that much work remained to be done. He pointed out that although the 15th Amendment to the Constitution had guaranteed African Americans the right to vote, many states had found ways to circumvent this law and prevent them from exercising that right. Johnson then went on to describe the various methods used to disenfranchise African American voters, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices. He pointed out that these tactics were not only unjust, but also undermined the very principles of democracy upon which America was foun...