Southern States Complete Disfranchisement of Black Voters Through Poll Taxes and Literacy Tests

By 1900, every former Confederate state had constitutionally disfranchised Black voters through a combination of poll taxes, literacy tests administered selectively, white primaries, grandfather clauses, and residency requirements. In Mississippi, Black voter registration fell from 190,000 in 1890 to fewer than 1,200 by 1904. In Louisiana, Black voters fell from 130,000 in 1896 to 1,342 in 1904. The disfranchisement was total and enforced by violence: attempting to register could result in job loss, eviction, or death.