Final answer:
The most likely reason for the 100-year gap between the elections of George Washington Murray and James Enos Clyburn to the US House of Representatives is the measures taken by many state governments, including South Carolina, to prevent African Americans from participating politically following Reconstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most likely reason for the 100-year gap between the elections of George Washington Murray and James Enos Clyburn to the US House of Representatives is option C) Following Reconstruction, many state governments, including South Carolina, took part in measures to prevent African Americans from participating politically.
After the Reconstruction era, which occurred from 1870 to 1900, there was a rise in violence, terror, literacy tests, poll taxes, and Jim Crow laws that were used to suppress the political participation of African Americans. These discriminatory measures prevented qualified African Americans from running for political office, including the US House of Representatives, resulting in a 100-year gap between the elections of Murray and Clyburn.