Final answer:
The use of poll taxes and literacy tests was a way to limit the electoral influence of African Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is a. Poll taxes and literacy tests.
After the end of Reconstruction, African Americans saw many of their new freedoms disappear. Southern states used poll taxes and literacy tests as a way to limit the electoral influence of African Americans. Poll taxes were fees that had to be paid before voting, which many African Americans could not afford. Literacy tests required voters to demonstrate a minimum standard of knowledge and were designed to be more difficult for African Americans than white voters.
For example, voters were often given more difficult tests and some states adopted grandfather clauses, which exempted white voters from the literacy test if they or their ancestors had previously voted. These measures effectively kept African Americans from voting and limited their electoral influence.