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Classroom · Grades 8–12

Lucius Amerson

Lucius Amerson’s election as sheriff of Macon County in 1966 shows how the Voting Rights Act changed not only who could vote, but who held the local power to arrest, protect, and enforce the law.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 8–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance) and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.Civ.2.9-12, D2.His.14.9-12
Reading
Lucius Amerson (profile)

Big Idea

Lucius Amerson’s election as sheriff of Macon County in 1966 shows how the Voting Rights Act changed not only who could vote, but who held the local power to arrest, protect, and enforce the law.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Lucius Amerson, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why did the office of county sheriff matter so much to Black residents of the Alabama Black Belt in the 1960s?
  2. How did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 make Amerson’s election possible in 1966, when it would have been impossible a few years earlier?
  3. Attorney General Bill Baxley defended Amerson in a federal civil rights trial in 1971. What reasons did Baxley give, and how do you evaluate them?
  4. In 2020 Alabama named a highway for Amerson. What does it mean for a state to honor someone whose election its earlier laws were designed to prevent?

Activity

Students read the Voting Rights Act’s provisions on literacy tests and federal examiners, then the 2020 Alabama resolution honoring Amerson. In small groups (25–35 minutes), they build a cause-and-effect chain linking the Act to the 1966 Macon County election and to Amerson’s twenty years in office, citing the profile’s timeline. Each group then writes a short paragraph explaining why control of local law enforcement was a civil rights issue.

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Lucius Amerson.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/lucius-amerson/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Lucius Amerson. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/lucius-amerson/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Lucius Amerson.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/lucius-amerson/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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