On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, a landmark piece of federal legislation aimed at eliminating racial discrimination in voting. This Act prohibited practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes that had been used to disenfranchise African American voters, particularly in Southern states.

The signing ceremony took place in the President’s Room just off the Senate Chamber, with civil rights leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and John Lewis in attendance.

In his remarks during the signing, President Johnson described the day as “a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory that has ever been won on any battlefield.”

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is considered one of the most effective pieces of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the United States, significantly advancing the cause of racial equality in the electoral process.