LauraC

The Voting Rights Act was written into law August 6, 1965 and was immediately challenged in the courts. It also had an immediate effect of enforcing the provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment, added to the Constitution 95 years earlier. By the end of of 1966 only 4 of 13 southern states had fewer than 50% of their African American population registered to vote.

From http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=100#top.