1889

Georgia Literacy Test and Poll Tax Enactment (1889)

Atlanta, Georgia, GA

Georgia Literacy Test and Poll Tax Enactment (1889)

Georgia Literacy Test and Poll Tax Enactment (1889)

Georgia passed a new constitution implementing literacy tests and poll taxes to disenfranchise Black voters, following Mississippi’s 1890 model. These measures were applied selectively to exclude African Americans while often exempting poor whites through exemptions. The law drastically reduced Black voting rates in the state.

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