Ratified in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection of all people under the law. In the 1960s, however, African Americans were still discriminated against because of their skin color. After reports of 600 peaceful African Americans being attacked and beaten after attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, President Lynden Johnson decided it was time to create legislation to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future . The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have been hailed as some of the “most far-reaching civil rights bills of modern times” (Schmidt et. al. 2010, 98). At that time in history, they were exactly what the country needed to stop the discriminatory practices that were so widespread. Both have evolved over time, modified and continually renewed by Congress. In recent years, especially after the election of Barack Obama, the need to maintain the provisions contained in the Voting Rights Act has been questioned. The effects of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act have been evident, such as the drastic increase of the number of minority voters and elected officials, but they also have limitations, such as oversight of districts that are tied to historically segregated communities, making it one to consider whether an update to the legislature is necessary to accommodate our more progressive racial attitudes . Two events in the 1960s were the primary reasons President Kennedy's team drafted and sent a Civil Rights Act bill to Congress: the Birmingham campaign and George Wallace's refusal to desegregate the University of Alabama. The Birmingham campaign consisted of sit-ins... middle of paper... Entry does not overturn section 5, they should take a quick look at the progressive country we have turned into since the 1960s and take taking current attitudes into consideration. The most effective civil rights legislation in history should continue to do what it was created to do, continue to move our country forward. Works Cited Blum, Edward. The Unintended Consequences of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Washington, DC: Aei Pr, 2007. Print. Kenworthy, EW. "Civil Rights Bill Passes, 73-27; Johnson Urges All to Comply; Dirksen Rebukes Goldwater." New York Times June 19, 1964, Print.Liptak, Adam. "On the right to vote, evidence of history versus progress." New York Times April 27, 2009, Print.Schmidt, Steffen, Mack Shelley, II II and Barbara Bardes. American government and politics today, 2010-2011. Mason, Ohio: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2010. 91-113. Press.