This morning, the scholars witnessed President Bush sign the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments of 2006. The signing took place during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited the use of literacy tests and poll taxes, which were often used to disenfranchise minority populations. It also called for registration on a federal level, rather than just the local or state level. The Voting Rights Act was renewed in 1970 and 1975. In 1982, it was both amended and renewed to exist for twenty five years. Today's signing was important, as the Act was due to expire next year. While equality has become more of a reality since the legislation was first passed, Bush remarked, “further work remains in the fight against injustice, and each generation has a responsibility to write a new chapter in the unfinished story of freedom.” The Act was signed in memory of the sacrifices of Civil Rights leaders Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Fannie Lou Hamer. Many prominent political figures were in attendance.