Showing posts with label Jim Crow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Crow. Show all posts
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Could You Pass The Literacy Test Given To Black Voters In The 1960s?
Last week, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court struck down
Section 4(b) of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a key provision in the law
that mandated nine states with a history of racial discrimination,
mostly in the South, to get federal permission before they could change
their voter laws.
Below are scans of an actual “literacy test” given to black voters by the state of Louisiana in the 1960s. As Slate
points out, “There was little room for befuddlement. The test was to be
taken in 10 minutes flat, and a single wrong answer meant a failing
grade.” Careful readers will note the irony of the typos in this test.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
