Johnson signs Voting Rights Act, orders immediate enforcement 50 years ago this hour (Aug 6 1965)


Video: 'President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Bill, 8/6/1965. MP544.'

(Friday, August 6, 1965, 12:05 p.m. EDT; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed today the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, and announced steps to bring about its quick and vigorous enforcement.


Video: 'American Experience - Lyndon B. Johnson (PBS Documentary)' (Aug. 6, 1965, at 45:22)