Question

Poll taxes and literacy tests were devices used to

A. extend suffrage to women and 18-year-old citizens
B. raise money for political campaigns
C. prevent immigrants from becoming citizens
D. deny African Americans the right to vote

Answer 1

Poll taxes and literacy tests were devices used to deny African Americans the right to vote.

Step-by-step explanation:

Poll taxes and literacy tests were devices used to deny African Americans the right to vote. After the end of Reconstruction, African Americans began to see many of their new freedoms disappear. Southerners were concerned African Americans would gain too much political power by voting and began using tactics to deny them the vote. One strategy was requiring voters to pay a poll tax, or a special fee that had to be paid before voting, which was often beyond the financial reach of African Americans, effectively keeping them from the polls. Voters were also required to pass a literacy test, in which they had to demonstrate a minimum standard of knowledge. These tests were designed to keep African Americans from voting, and often they were given more difficult tests than white voters. To ensure that the literacy tests did not keep too many whites from voting, many states adopted grandfather clauses, exempting individuals from voting restrictions if they or their ancestors had been permitted to vote before a certain point in time.