Black voting rights have been a long and hard-fought battle throughout American history. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment was passed in 1870, granting African American men the right to vote. However, this right was often violently suppressed through tactics such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation by white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote. The act prohibited discriminatory voting practices that had been widely used to disenfranchise Black voters, such as literacy tests and poll taxes.

Despite these victories, voter suppression efforts targeting African Americans continue to this day, with tactics such as voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and purges of voter rolls disproportionately affecting minority communities. The fight for equal voting rights for Black Americans remains ongoing, as advocates continue to work to protect and expand access to the ballot box for all citizens.