Reagan and the 1965 Voting Rights Act - Reagan Era

Lets see what President Reagan thought of Section 4 of the 1965 Act, in a letter to his Attorney General in 1981 the President stated the following, " I am sensitive to the controversy which has attached itself to some of the Act's provisions, in particular those provisions which impose burdens unequally upon different parts of the nation. But I am sensitive also to the fact that the spirit of the Act marks this nation's commitment to full equality for all Americans, regardless of race, color, or national origin. Because my Administration intends to maintain that commitment, the question before us in the months ahead will not be whether the rights which the Act seeks to protect are worthy of protection, but whether the Act continues to be the most appropriate means of guaranteeing those rights. ".*  Thus the above can be read two ways, 1.  Reagan would not have approved the move by the US Supreme Court to revoke section 4, 2. Reagan would have understood with the passing of time the context of the US had changed, the Act did not take that in to account, when the Act was granted an extension in 1982 the President stated the following in a Statement, " Voting is one of the most cherished of our birthrights as American citizens. When practiced, it enriches our democracy; when threatened, it must be protected. Today's responsible action by the Senate sends a strong, bipartisan message: No American's vote shall be defiled, diluted, or denied. The Voting Rights Act, and the amendments added to it in 1975, have significantly contributed to the achievement of full constitutional and political equality for black Americans, and for other minorities, especially Mexican Americans. I strongly believe there has also been a good-faith effort by the great majority of our people, in all regions, to ensure the provisions of this act are fully respected. ".**  One can postulate folks that President Reagan would have had moral and political reservations by this move by the US Supreme Court, but its guess folks, what do you think folks. 

* " Letter to the Attorney General Directing an Assessment of the Voting Rights Act June 15, 1981 ".The Public Papers of President Ronald W. Reagan.  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

** " Statement on Senate Approval of the Extension of the Voting Rights Act June 18, 1982 ".The Public Papers of President Ronald W. Reagan.  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.