Voting Rights

Question 1

What was the voting rights in Georgia in 1877?

Answer 1

The poll tax for voters was $2 and most black people could not afford this

Question 2

What was the ‘understanding clause’ in the Southern states?

Answer 2

Voters had to explain part of the constitution to the registrar well before they could vote. Difficulty depended on skin colour

Question 3

Where and when were literacy tests and why was this a problem?

Answer 3

In Mississippi in 1890. Many black schools were significantly under-funded.

Question 4

What was the ‘grandfather clause’?

Answer 4

If your grandfather could vote before 1867 (when blacks got the vote), literacy tests were not needed. Illiterate whites could still vote

Question 5

Who was the last black Congressman elected from the South in the 19th century?

Answer 5

George Henry White

Question 6

When did George Henry White’s term expire?

Answer 6

1901. No blacks served Congress for the next 28 years

Question 7

Since George Henry White’s expire, how many years was it until another black represented a Southern State?

Answer 7

72