Describe the pull and push of political forces influencing black civil rights activism and the sacrifices of Americans to ensure passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The Ballot and the Bullet and the Continuing Relevance of fight for Voting Rights

ESSAY PROMPT
Think about why access to the ballot, a recurring theme in Malcolm X’s “1964 Ballot or the Bullet” talk, is associated with a quest for constitutional protections.

Then reply to the following:

Malcolm X recognizes the international dimension of the color-caste system in his writings and speeches. Explain the relevance of the Vietnamese and South African revolutionary movements in his Ballot or Bullet speech (1965) and why Vietnam and South Africa symbolize the international scope of the black quest for freedom and equality?

Describe the pull and push of political forces influencing black civil rights activism and the sacrifices of Americans to ensure passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.