Why did Southern state governments create poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses?
1 Answer
After the Civil War Southern State Governments wanted to reduce the number of Black former slaves that could vote.
Explanation:
In Southern Carolina the number of former black slaves outnumbered the white voters. If all the black slaves voted the former slaves would have political power over the whites.
The poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses were all design to prevent blacks from voting. The goal was for the white population to retain political power.
Immediately after the Civil War a number of Black Republicans were elected to Congress. This gave the Black population a great deal of political power. This frightened the white population.
The poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses were efforts to blunt the political power that a large population of former slaves could provide to the black people of the south.
