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Difficulty: MediumThe New South and Jim Crow

Section 244. On and after the first day of January, A. D. 1892, every elector shall, in addition to the foregoing qualifications, be able to read any section of the constitution of this State; or he shall be able to understand the same when read to him, or give a reasonable interpretation thereof.

— Mississippi State Constitution, 1890

Which of the following was the most direct historical consequence of state constitutional provisions such as the one excerpted above?

  1. A
    The formal repeal of the Fifteenth Amendment by the federal government to accommodate state voting requirements.
  2. B
    The immediate deployment of federal troops to Mississippi to establish military districts under Radical Reconstruction.
  3. A sharp decline in voter registration among African Americans and the consolidation of Democratic Party control in the South.Answer
  4. D
    The rapid expansion of the urban Progressive movement as a reaction against agrarian voting laws.

Answer

A sharp decline in voter registration among African Americans and the consolidation of Democratic Party control in the South.
The correct answer is correct because state constitutional amendments, such as the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, utilized literacy tests, understanding clauses, and poll taxes to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment. This successfully disenfranchised the vast majority of African American voters and cemented the political dominance of the Democratic Party in the South (creating the 'Solid South').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document to identify the policy described.
The excerpt outlines the 'understanding clause' from the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, which required voters to read or interpret the state constitution to the satisfaction of local officials.
Understanding the function of this literacy test mechanism is necessary to trace its political effects.
2
Determine the historical context and objective of this policy.
Following the end of Reconstruction, white Southern Democrats sought to disenfranchise Black voters without violating the Fifteenth Amendment's prohibition on racial discrimination in voting.
Placing the source within the late 19th-century transition to the Jim Crow era explains why the policy was enacted.
3
Evaluate the political consequences of the policy.
This clause, along with poll taxes and grandfather clauses, successfully disenfranchised the vast majority of Black voters, resulting in a single-party Democratic political monopoly in the South.
This matches the historical reality of the Gilded Age South and identifies the correct choice.

Key Concept

The New South and Jim Crow
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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The New South and Jim Crow

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