Question 1

The 'Voting Rights Act' of 1965 primarily aimed to eliminate literacy tests and other barriers to voting for minorities.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to eliminate discriminatory practices that prevented minorities, particularly African Americans, from exercising their right to vote, including literacy tests and other barriers.

A) abolish the Electoral College

This option is incorrect as the Voting Rights Act did not address the Electoral College directly. The act focused specifically on removing barriers to voting rather than altering the structure of the electoral process itself.

B) eliminate literacy tests and other barriers to voting for minorities

This option is correct. The Voting Rights Act was designed to remove obstacles that disenfranchised minority voters, including literacy tests, which were used to unfairly restrict voting rights.

C) establish a national voter ID law

This option is incorrect because the Voting Rights Act did not establish a national voter ID law. Rather, it aimed to ensure that all citizens had equal access to voting without discriminatory practices.

D) grant voting rights to 18-year-olds

This option is also incorrect. While the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 did not specifically address the voting age.

E) prohibit campaign financing

This option is incorrect as well. The Voting Rights Act does not deal with campaign financing; it is focused on the protection of voting rights and elimination of discriminatory practices in voting.

Conclusion

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is definitively aimed at eliminating barriers to voting for minorities, making option B the only correct answer. Other options either misinterpret the act's purpose or relate to issues outside its scope, confirming that B is the most accurate representation of the act's objectives.