In what year did the Voting Rights Act become law?

• A. 1965
• B. 1963
• C. 1967
• D. 1969

Answer: (A)

The key idea is when Congress and the President acted to remove legal barriers to voting and to give federal protections to voters. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965, a direct response to the intense Civil Rights Movement and the obstacles Black Americans faced at the ballot box, especially in the South. It targeted discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and established federal oversight for jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to ensure fair voting access. That’s why 1965 is the correct year—the act’s enactment marks a major legislative milestone in voting rights. The other years relate to other moments in the civil rights era rather than the act’s passage.