Indulgences.
Essentially, what the Catholic Church decided to do was to convince its subjects that paying it in small fees would reduce the amount of time they would spend in Purgatory (think the place between Heaven and Hell). These fees were called indulgences, and people could pay to have their or their family members' years in Purgatory slightly shaved off. This, of course, allowed it to gain much money, as people's years in Purgatory sometimes numbered in the thousands, if not the <em>MILLIONS</em><em /><em /><em>. </em>
Martin Luther was angered at such a system, finding it deceptive and corrupt. He wrote and posted his Ninety-Five Theses in defence of the Church, but with disdain towards the indulgence system.<u />
The <span>Fifteenth Amendment </span>had practically no effect in southern states, which devised numerous ways such as poll taxes and grandfather clauses to keep blacks from voting. Over time, federal laws and Supreme Court judicial opinions eventually struck down voting restrictions for blacks. Eventually, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 which established a commission to investigate voting discrimination.<span> And in 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed to increase black voter registration by empowering the </span>Justice Department<span> to closely monitor voting qualifications. that is basicly what i know but i hope this does help =)</span>
John Colet lectured on the Epistles of Paul :)
