Literacy test

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A literacy test (analogous translation from English: reading and writing test) is a possibility in connection with the political history of the USA , which should serve to exclude African-Americans from elections and thus discriminate against them in their right to vote. This practice was mainly used in the southern states , where the ideas of white supremacy were widespread.

Only black voters - at the beginning of the practice of literacy tests mostly former slaves who could not read or write - had to prove their ability to read in the presence of an official before the elections. Usually a white registrar presented them with a complicated passage of a state constitution, which they should read out and explain. Furthermore, the African American had to answer a whole catalog of questions "to the complete satisfaction of the registrar". White registrars were required to exclude blacks from voting at all costs, and since the phrase "to the full satisfaction of the registrar" was flexible, they always found some reason to claim that the voter had given inadequate answers. In many cases, no reason was given for the rejection. The first laws on literacy tests were introduced in 1890. Whites were exempt from these tests, which was legally justified with grandfather rights .

The grandfather's rights were granted by the United States Supreme Court in the Guinn v. United States (1915) declared unconstitutional. Regardless, this practice continued. Examples of the questions asked blacks in Alabama included: the names of all sixty-seven county judges in the state, the names of the days Oklahoma became members, and how many There are bubbles in a bar of soap.

The 14th Amendment threatened states that banned adult men from voting (through literacy tests or other means) to reduce their representation in Congress, but that provision was never enforced. In 1959 the US Supreme Court found that the literacy tests did not necessarily violate the Equal Protection Clause of Articles 14 and 15 (Lassiter v. Northampton Electoral Committee (1959)). In the 1960s, the southern states only got rid of literacy tests under pressure. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 de facto abolished literacy tests. They were only used on people who did not speak the English language.

Other forms of discrimination were poll taxes or other forms of intimidation by the administration.

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Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Robert A. Caro: Master of the Senate. (The years of Lyndon Johnson, 3). Vintage Books, New York 2003, ISBN 0-394-72095-4 , p. 691.
  2. ↑ http://www.crmvet.org/info/lithome.htm