African-Americans (as well as all other minorities) were not allowed to
vote in our country until after 1965.

1965!

That's a mere 38 years ago.

Technically, supposedly, according to the books, African-Americans had a
right to vote after passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870. But in
reality, there were many major, major restrictions put upon them that
they really could not vote. There was the 'poll tax' that deliberately
made voting unaffordable for minorities, and then there were the
extremely biased "literacy tests" that were designed to disqualify
minorities from voting, and if that didn't stop them then the
authorities would pull out the "Grandfather Clause" which required
minorities to provide proof that their Grandfather voted, and nobody
could provide that kind of proof, because their Grandfathers were not
allowed to vote either. And then, after these, as well as other LEGAL
roadblocks were exhausted, there was always the KKK.

Nothing like intimidation by cross burnings & a public lynching in broad
daylight, in just one town, and news would get out and EVERYONE would be
frightened $#!+less into staying home on election day.