Answer:
Because literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses prevented African American citizens from voting within the US.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the era of Reconstruction, Southern state governments tried to find ways to prevent African American men from voting. Finding new methods to stop African American men from voting was necessary due to the passage of the 15th amendment. This amendment gave African American men the right to vote.
However, in the South, many white citizens did not want African Americans to vote. This was based on the widespread racism seen in the South before, during, and after the Civil War. This is why they forced African Americans to take extremely difficult tasks, pay taxes, and other obstacles to prevent them from voting.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to get rid of these different obstacles within the US.