Final answer:
Literacy tests were used as a discriminatory tool to prevent African Americans from voting by giving them challenging tests, with historical education prohibitions contributing to their effectiveness. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated these tests and provided federal oversight to protect voter rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Literacy tests were an effective way to prevent blacks from voting because they were used to discriminate against black voters. Voter registration officials had discretion to give easier passages and questions to white voters, while giving more difficult ones to black voters. Additionally, many African Americans were at a disadvantage because they had limited access to education and were not taught to read.
Literacy tests were an effective way to prevent African American citizens from voting by being implemented as a discriminatory tool rather than as impartial assessments of one’s ability to read and understand the law. African Americans were often given unreasonably challenging tests compared to white voters, and even if tests had been administered fairly, many would have struggled due to historical prohibitions on their education. In addition to literacy tests, other methods such as poll taxes and grandfather clauses were used to systematically disenfranchise black voters and maintain political control by white officials. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a crucial step towards eliminating these unjust practices by prohibiting literacy tests and providing federal oversight during voter registration in Southern states.