Introduction The quest for Black Political Equality in Mississippi

Abstract

Since 1965, the political participation of black Americans in American history has been phenomenal. There has been a dramatic upsurge in black political participation, and this is largely due to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, black participation in the southern states, especially in Mississippi, has been an issue of discord. Despite the fact that the act removed all the legal barriers in the south and allowed blacks to exercise their right to vote and elect officials of their choice, the southern states adopted massive resistance strategies to try to void black votes. The act of 1965 eliminated literacy tests and poll taxes, which had been in place previously to deny blacks the right to vote. However, many states designed disfranchising devices to nullify and dilute the black vote.