This Google Site contains a series of primary and secondary sources on the struggle secure and maintain equitable, constitutional voting rights for African Americans.

Each page consists of a contextual paragraph that provides background information for the document(s) and excerpts from one or more primary documents. Some of the documents have been edited for length. As you analyze the documents, consider both the original source and its author’s point of view. The companion Google Form contains questions about the documents.

The Documents

Document A: Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1780

Document B: Article XX, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1857

Document C: 15^th Amendment, 1870

Document D: 24th Amendment, 1964

Document E: Excerpt from The Voting Rights Act, 1965

Document F: “Democracy’s Turnstile” by Theodore Seuss Geisel, 1942

Document G: Alabama Literacy Test, 1965

Document H: Graph of Racial Gaps in Voter Turnout, 2017

Document I: Map of Voter Identification Laws, 2020

Document J: Consensus and Dissent from Shelby County v, Holder, 2013

Document K: “Shelby County One Year Later,” 2014