Which statement best describes poll taxes and literacy tests in the Southern states after the 15th Amendment?

• A. They were used by Southern states to suppress African American voting rights despite the 15th Amendment.
• B. They expanded voting rights to women.
• C. They were intended to standardize voter qualification across the nation.
• D. They were created by the federal government to ensure equal access.

Answer: (A)

Even though the 15th Amendment bans denying the right to vote because of race, Southern states found ways to keep Black citizens from voting. Poll taxes required payment to vote, and literacy tests were used to gatekeep qualification for voting. In practice, these tools were designed and applied in biased ways that disproportionately affected African Americans, helping to maintain white political control under the Jim Crow system. They’re not about expanding rights or standardizing standards, and they weren’t created by the federal government; they were state tools used to suppress votes, which later federal actions worked to dismantle.