Skip to Main Content
Digital Public Library of America
  • Home
  • Browse by Topic
  • Browse by Partner
  • Exhibitions
  • Primary Source Sets
  • My Lists
  • About DPLA
  • News
  • DPLA Pro
  • Home
  • Browse by Topic
  • Browse by Partner
  • Exhibitions
  • Primary Source Sets
  • My Lists
  • About DPLA
  • News
  • DPLA Pro
Primary Source Sets
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A 1926 letter from William E. Borah to W. E. B. Du Bois about the Fifteenth Amendment.

A 1926 letter from William E. Borah to W. E. B. Du Bois about the Fifteenth Amendment.

This is a letter from Senator William E. Borah of Idaho, who was part of the progressive movement, to W.E.B. Du Bois, a scholar, civil rights leader, and one of the founders of the NAACP. Senator Borah expresses his disapproval of the Fifteenth Amendment, yet believes it should be carried out in good faith. He maintains to Du Bois that the American South had done, and was doing, all it could to help the “negro.” This letter demonstrates deep-seated racism that the legislative process failed to erase. For example, the senator attempts to convince Du Bois that anti-lynching legislation was unfounded and based on falsehoods. This letter comes fifty-six years after the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, at a time of widespread disenfranchisement.

Show full description
Citation Information
Borah, William Edgar, “Letter from William E. Borah to W. E. B. Du Bois,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/67e85497437574ff6cecbc1a443e7f5a.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries via Digital Commonwealth.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 2 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Voting Rights Act of 1965

Previous ItemNext Item
A joint resolution proposing the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 1869.
A 1926 letter from William E. Borah to W. E. B. Du Bois about the Fifteenth Amendment.
An 1872 political cartoon called “One Vote Less,” which comments on racial violence during Reconstruction.
A poll-tax petition from 1930s Tennessee.
A 1958 citizenship test from the Georgia State Voter Registration Act.
An excerpt from The Voting Rights Act of 1965.
A photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act, 1965.
A television news clip of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking about the Summer Community Organization and Political Education project, June 1965.
A photograph of marchers on the third Selma to Montgomery civil rights march, March 25, 1965.
An excerpt from a television news broadcast in March 1965 in which Carl Sanders, the governor of Georgia, speaks on voting rights.
An excerpt from a 1975 report from the United States Commission on Civil Rights about the Voting Rights Act after ten years.
An excerpt from congressional hearings on voting rights from 1993.
The 2006 Act to Amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
An excerpt from a 2014 US Senate hearing on the Voting Rights Amendment Act.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

DPLA

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • How Can I Use DPLA?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Harmful Content
  • About DPLA
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback
  • News

Tools

  • Primary Source Sets
  • Browse by Partner
  • Browse by Topic
  • Exhibitions
  • My Lists
  • Search

DPLA Pro

  • DPLA Pro Home
  • Prospective Hubs
  • Hub Network
  • Developers
  • Education
  • Projects
  • Ebooks
  • Events
Donate
DPLA Home
FacebookInstagramTwitter