Content Objective: I will be able to recognize the modern and historical significance of The Reconstruction Era.
Standard Objective: I will be able to draw reasonable inferences and logical conclusions from text.
Content Objective: I will be able to recognize the modern and historical significance of The Reconstruction Era.
Standard Objective: I will be able to draw reasonable inferences and logical conclusions from text.
What were your thoughts while taking this test? Write the first three words that come to your mind when thinking about this test. No explanation needed, just write the words down.
How do you think this test made newly-freed Black Americans feel?
Why do you think these tests were purposely used instead of simply telling Black Americans they were not allowed to vote?
Some legislatures passed a poll tax, which required voters to pay money before they could vote. Many African-Americans were too poor to pay the tax and could not vote.
Literacy test laws required voters to be able to read a passage before voting. At the time, about half of African-Americans could not read so they could not vote. Questions were designed so that the test-takers would pass or fail simply at the discretion of the test administrator.
Wouldn’t these practices exclude the poor white vote? Southern policymakers found a way around this by enacting the grandfather clause, which exempted anyone whose grandfather had voted from having to pay poll taxes or take literacy tests.
Why is voting important? One Bulls student who just turned 18 claimed, “I don’t care about politics so why would I vote?” What would you say to change their mind?
Righting Wrongs: Today, several states in the Deep South have to prove to the government that they have a certain percentage of Black voters registered to receive federal funding.
How has our society improved since the Reconstruction Era? In what ways in our society today do you still see disadvantages for minorities?
