Can You Pass This Voter Literacy Test?
In post-Civil War West Virginia, the political landscape, marked by intense struggles over voting rights, differed from much of the South as it didn’t implement the notorious voter literacy tests, a tool for disenfranchising African Americans and poor whites. Despite this, the state faced its challenges: pro-union Republicans restricted former Confederates from voting and holding office, and secret societies like the Ku Klux Klan targeted African Americans, gaining voting rights. This complex period in West Virginia’s history, avoiding literacy tests yet grappling with other forms of discrimination, leads us to ponder: Can you pass the test that so many faced in this American civil rights era? This one is from Louisiana, via Slate.com
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