Mississippi Constitutional Convention Disfranchises Black Voters

Mississippi's 1890 constitutional convention — convened explicitly to eliminate Black political power — introduced literacy tests, poll taxes, and understanding clauses designed to disqualify Black voters while exempting most whites. The 'Mississippi Plan' became the template for disfranchisement across the South. Black voter registration in Mississippi collapsed from over 190,000 in 1867 to negligible numbers by 1900.