Literacy tests

Definition

Literacy tests were assessments used to determine a person's ability to read and write, historically employed within the United States as a mechanism to restrict voting rights, particularly among African Americans, poor white voters, and non-English speaking immigrants. These tests were part of a broader strategy to disenfranchise specific groups of people until they were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Related terms

Voter Suppression:

Actions or policies intended to restrict or deter specific groups of people from voting, aiming at influencing the outcome of an election.

Voting Rights Act of 1965:

A landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

Disenfranchisement:

The removal of the right to vote from a person or group, often used as a strategy to influence electoral outcomes.