On Monday, March 15, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed the full congress to push for Voting Rights for African Americans. There's the key word African AMERICANS. Shouldn't a person who is legally an American and eligible to work in the United States be eligible to vote on issues going on in our country? Sadly enough back in 1965 this wasn't the case. A quote given my Johnson that really stood out to me was "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem" This I felt was a very powerful line in that world calling for equal rights wasn't the norm is was a very controversial issue and Johnson put his own career and presidency on the line for these "second class citizens." After African Americans gained voting rights a very serious problem for them was the “literacy tests” that were specifically designed to keep African Americans from casting their votes. These tests were designed specifically to keep African Americans from voting. Today African Americans still suffer some discrimination but life is infinitely better for them in 2011 than it was in 1965.
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