What did the Grandfather Clause allow in the context of voting rights?

What did the Grandfather Clause allow in the context of voting rights?

• A. Introduced literacy tests for voting.
• B. Imposed poll taxes to restrict voting.
• C. Abolished literacy tests for all voters.
• D. Allowed people to vote if their father or grandfather had voted before Reconstruction.

Answer: (D)

The main idea evaluated is how voting eligibility was manipulated to preserve white supremacy after Reconstruction. The Grandfather Clause allowed someone to vote if their grandfather had voted before Reconstruction, creating an exemption to literacy tests and other restrictions for those whose ancestry included a pre-Reconstruction voter. This meant many white voters could bypass new voting requirements, while Black citizens, whose grandfathers likely did not vote before Reconstruction, could not qualify. So the clause’s purpose was to keep voting access for whites by tying eligibility to ancestral voting, rather than to introduce or remove literacy tests or poll taxes themselves.

The main idea evaluated is how voting eligibility was manipulated to preserve white supremacy after Reconstruction. The Grandfather Clause allowed someone to vote if their grandfather had voted before Reconstruction, creating an exemption to literacy tests and other restrictions for those whose ancestry included a pre-Reconstruction voter. This meant many white voters could bypass new voting requirements, while Black citizens, whose grandfathers likely did not vote before Reconstruction, could not qualify. So the clause’s purpose was to keep voting access for whites by tying eligibility to ancestral voting, rather than to introduce or remove literacy tests or poll taxes themselves.