Question

The practices listed above were methods commonly used in the united states from the 1860s until the 1960s for what purpose?

a. to help immigrants make the transition to citizenship
b. to keep former confederate leaders out of public office
c. to encourage citizens to participate in the political process
d. to prevent african american citizens from exercising rights

Answer 1

The given practices were used to prevent African American citizens from exercising rights, particularly the right to vote, from the 1860s until the 1960s. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses were among the tactics used to disenfranchise African Americans, although these were challenged and largely dismantled by the Civil Rights Movement.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discriminatory practices referred to in the question were directed towards African American citizens with the purpose of preventing them from exercising their rights, particularly suffrage. During the period spanning from the 1860s to the 1960s, a variety of methods were used as barriers to African American enfranchisement. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses were among the tactics employed to disenfranchise this community.

Literacy and understanding tests were notoriously unjust, as they were often unequally administered, with African Americans being subjected to more challenging versions of the tests. The intent behind these tests was clear; to create an insurmountable barrier for those deemed undesirable by those in power, namely African Americans. This was feasible due to voter registration officials having the discretion to choose the difficulty of the texts and questions presented.

The end of the Reconstruction era followed by the institution of Jim Crow laws ensured the persistence of these disenfranchisement strategies. Despite constitutional amendments that aimed to protect voting rights, loopholes and biased application of laws led to widespread voter disenfranchisement. Instruments such as the poll tax rendered voting financially prohibitive for many African Americans, while grandfather clauses maintained voting rights for Whites by exempting them from new restrictions.

The legacy of these practices was challenged throughout the twentieth century, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement, leading to reforms and the eventual dismantling of many of these discriminatory policies. In conclusion, the answer to the student's question is (d) to prevent African American citizens from exercising rights.