MAP ACTIVITY Map 28.2 The Rise of the African American Vote, 1940–1976 Voting rates of southern blacks increased gradually in the 1940s and 1950s but shot up dramatically in the deep South after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided for federal agents to enforce African Americans’ right to vote. READING THE MAP: When did the biggest change in African American voter registration occur in the South? In 1968, which states had the highest and which had the lowest voter registration rates? CONNECTIONS: What role did African American voters play in the 1960 election? What were the targets of two major voting drives in the 1960s?