Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumReconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

During the congressional debates over the Fifteenth Amendment in 1869, some Radical Republicans argued that the proposed amendment was insufficient because it only prohibited disenfranchisement based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, rather than affirmatively guaranteeing the right to vote to all citizens. This criticism best anticipated which of the following historical developments during the late nineteenth century?

  1. The implementation of literacy tests and poll taxes by Southern states to disenfranchise Black voters without explicitly referencing raceAnswer
  2. B
    The federal government's immediate and permanent enforcement of universal male suffrage across all states
  3. C
    The formal repeal of the Fifteenth Amendment by Southern state legislatures during the late nineteenth century
  4. D
    The Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Fifteenth Amendment as an unconstitutional infringement on states' authority to run elections

Answer

The implementation of literacy tests and poll taxes by Southern states to disenfranchise Black voters without explicitly referencing race
The correct option is correct because the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited voting discrimination only on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. By omitting a positive guarantee of the right to vote or bans on alternative qualifications, the amendment left a loophole that Southern states exploited using race-neutral measures like literacy tests and poll taxes to disenfranchise Black citizens.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context of the Fifteenth Amendment's passage and the specific critique raised by Radical Republicans.
Identify that critics warned that prohibiting discrimination only on specific grounds (race, color, previous servitude) left other criteria (like literacy or property) open to manipulation.
To understand the nature of the constitutional loophole being discussed.
2
Connect the identified loophole to the methods of disenfranchisement used in the South during the late nineteenth century.
Recognize that Southern states adopted poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to target Black voters indirectly.
To verify how the predicted loophole was exploited in practice.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the historical development that matches this exploitation.
Confirm that the rise of literacy tests and poll taxes aligns with the prediction.
To select the correct response.

Key Concept

Reconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Reconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

More questions from this topic