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.
Analogy
Imagine if before you could play an online game, you had to solve a complex puzzle that only those with prior knowledge could understand. This is similar to how literacy tests functioned; they were designed in a way that made it very difficult for certain individuals to pass, effectively keeping them out of the "game" of voting.
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.
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