August 1890

Mississippi's 1890 constitutional convention, openly designed to disenfranchise Black voters while nominally complying with the 15th Amendment, introduced the poll tax, literacy test, and two-year residency requirement. Delegate James K. Vardaman boasted the intent was white supremacy. Black voter registration in Mississippi collapsed from over 190,000 in 1867 to fewer than 8,600 by 1892. Other Southern states copied the model.

Mississippi's constitutional convention adopts the 'Mississippi Plan': poll taxes, literacy tests administered at white registrars' discretion, and residency requirements designed to eliminate Black voter registration. Black voters — a majority in many counties — are reduced to near-zero registration within years. The blueprint is copied by every former Confederate state over the following two decades.

Mississippi adopts the 'Mississippi Plan': poll taxes, literacy tests administered at white registrars' discretion, and residency requirements eliminating Black voter registration. Black voters — a near-majority in many counties — are reduced to near-zero registration within years. Every former Confederate state copies the blueprint over the following two decades.