In 1855, a number of US states issued a literacy test, ostensibly to ensure an informed and educated electorate. Instead, these exams were used to disenfranchise African Americans, immigrants, poor citizens, and marginalized groups from voting.
In southern states, the tests were often rigged in favor of white voters. Even educated Black citizens holding college degrees often 'failed' the exam and were therefore denied their suffrage.
The authorities claimed the tests were part of the wider voter registration process. Instead, they tell a story of how violence and fraud underpinned the widespread discrimination of the Black population.
In this gallery, we explain the origins of these shameful tests and how they were eventually scrapped through federal legislation and amendments driven by the civil rights movement.