Based on what you’ve learned, which of the following correctly …

History Questions
Short Answer
Step by Step Solution
History Questions

Based on what you have learned, select each response below that correctly describes a barrier to African American voting in the South in the 1960s. Select all that apply. 15th amendment poll taxes voter registration drives literacy tests grandfather clauses Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Short Answer

Poll taxes and literacy tests were discriminatory practices designed to disenfranchise Black individuals and poor citizens from voting. The grandfather clause further protected white voters by exempting them from these barriers, reinforcing systemic inequality and maintaining white power in elections.

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Understanding Poll Taxes

The concept of poll taxes involved imposing a fee on individuals before they could vote. This law disproportionately affected Black individuals and poor citizens, as many could not afford to pay the tax. As a result, their ability to participate in elections was severely limited, effectively disenfranchising a significant portion of the population.

Step 2: The Challenge of Literacy Tests

Literacy tests were another barrier to voting, designed to assess a voter’s reading and writing skills. These tests were often unfairly administered, with Black individuals frequently facing impossible evaluation criteria. The objective was to disqualify voters who could not meet these stringent standards, further marginalizing communities of color.

Step 3: The Grandfather Clause

The grandfather clause provided a loophole for white voters, exempting them from poll taxes and literacy tests if their ancestors had the right to vote before the Civil War. This ensured that white citizens could maintain their voting rights while effectively continuing the disenfranchisement of Black voters. This discriminatory practice solidified systemic inequality and kept power out of the hands of many African Americans.

Related Concepts

Poll Taxes

A fee imposed on individuals that must be paid before they can vote, disproportionately affecting black individuals and the poor who could not afford it

Literacy Tests

Assessments designed to evaluate a voter’s reading and writing skills, often administered unfairly to disqualify black individuals from voting

Grandfather Clause

A legal provision allowing white voters to avoid poll taxes and literacy tests if their ancestors had voting rights before the civil war, perpetuating disenfranchisement of black voters.

Table Of Contents
  1. Based on what you have learned, select each response below that correctly describes a barrier to African American voting in the South in the 1960s. Select all that apply. 15th amendment poll taxes voter registration drives literacy tests grandfather clauses Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

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