Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights that Changed America by Russell Freedman

For the fiftieth anniversary of the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman has written a riveting account of African-American struggles for the right to vote. Illustrated with more than forty archival photographs, this is an essential chronicle of events every American should know.

You can learn more about the Civil Rights Act, including viewing original documents related to its passage at the National Archives.

In 2013, the US Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act which had been reauthorized by Congress in 2006. Read more about the implications of this ruling here.