SC.18.4

Voting Literacy Test (1965)

Listen to the Audio

In order to deny African-Americans access to the polls following the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, southern governments adopted increasingly complex barriers to voting. States implemented poll taxes, literacy tests, “moral character requirements,” and other tactics designed specifically to evade implementation of the amendment. Below is a sample section of a test that required potential voters to read and interpret a section of the U.S. Constitution. Though officially color-blind, these tests were administered by white officials who were granted a large degree of discretion in interpreting answers. These officials almost always passed white candidates and failed black applicants. Such tests remained prevalent throughout the South until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s caused President Lyndon Johnson to push though the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Passage of this law was a major step toward ending these discriminatory examinations, nearly a century after they were instituted.

Excerpts from the Constitution

Part 1. In case of the removal of the president from office, or of his death, resignation or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the vice-president, and the congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death. resignation or inability, both of the president and vice-president, declaring what officer shall then act as president, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a president shall be elected.

Part 2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party, the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction.

Part 3. In all the other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the congress shall make.

Part 4. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Instruction “C”

(After applicant has read, not aloud, the foregoing excerpts from the Constitution, he will answer the following questions in writing and without assistance:)

1. In case the president is unable to perform the duties of his office, who assumes them?                      
2. “Involuntary servitude” is permitted in the United States upon conviction of a crime. (True or False)           
3. If a state is a party to a case, the Constitution provides that original jurisdiction shall be in                 
4. Congress passes laws regulating cases which are included in those over which the United States Supreme Court has                             jurisdiction.

I hereby certify that I have received no assistance in the completion of this citizenship and literacy test, that I was allowed the time I desired to complete it, and that I waive any right existing to demand a copy of same. (If for any reason the applicant does not wish to sign this, he must discuss the matter with the board of registrars.)

Signed:                        

(Applicant)

Source: Voting rights: Hearings, Eighty-ninth Congress, first session, on S. 1564, to enforce the 15th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Part I, 762. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1964.

Questions

1. In what ways would the test above prove an obstacle to African-Americans—who, on average, were poorer and had less access to good education than white Americans—seeking to gain the right to vote? Why would it have been less of an obstacle to poor whites?
2. The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Does the literacy test above meet the letter of the law laid down in the Fifteenth Amendment”? Does it abide by the spirit of the law?
3. What implications do you think the last two lines included in this test (right before the signature line) had for applicants who might wish to challenge the scoring of their test?

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WEEK 8/ Read Chapter 20 and 22- answer these select Chapter Review questions in Pearson at the end of each chapter

Answer Select Chapter review  questions 

I will access your score passed on a scale from 1-40  and score your work.  10 points per question. Numbers 1 and 2 are from Chapter 20 and Numbers 3 and 4 are from Chapter 22.

1. Compare and contrast tactics used in the Free South Africa Movement with those used in the African American civil rights movement of the 1960s.
2. In what ways do trends in American popular culture reflect and affect trends in African American life?3. To what extent did the Bush presidency pave the way for Obama’s election?4. Did the election of Barack Obama indicate that the United States has entered a new era of race relations?

WEEK 8/ Migration Research Project or Final Oral History Project

FINAL ORAL HISTORY PROJECT or MIGRATION RESEARCH PROJECT

Due to COVID-19 many of us are utilizing the phone to interview our subjects or utilize zoom (zoom.us) or youtube to upload or recordings. For those of us who are not able to perform the interview in this way you have an option of doing a family Migration Story or a Research Paper on a significant person in our African American History)

MIGRATION RESEARCH PROJECT

At least 5 pages long. You must then utilize news reports, websites, geographical and historical records, books, popular culture to defend your view. Migration stories from a family member as they relate to historical terms you learned from your text. You could also include an oral interview via phone or zoom.us or youtube as part of the project.

1. Do a migration map of your family explaining their move geographically including forms of agriculture found in their original place of orientation, population, cultural and ethnic background and place of destination.

2. Gather Migration stories from family member as they relate to geographical terms you learned from your text. You could also include an oral interview via phone or zoom.us or youtube as part of the projectYou may interview those in your household if you are sheltering in place. As you know this virus is impacting the African American Community due to underlying systemic problems that have arisen since slavery. This project could be quite significant in finding out how you and your household are being impacted utilizing the following variables: economical,political social, cultural and health.

3. In this project you can use your own reflections on the economy, social , political and cultural health circumstances impacting African Americans historically today. You may interview those in your household since we are sheltering in place.

FINAL ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
The goal of this project is to collect the voice of the participant in history and to have them tell you the stories they carried within them. This can be conducted as an oral interview via phone or zoom.us or youtube as part of the project.

The objective is to capture some aspect of history in the voices of those who were there, and thereby give younger generations who had not lived that history, or never understood, some idea of the time period in which the participant lived. You might be interested in a certain topic such as segregation, discrimination, racism, civil rights, family history, the 60’s, 70’s 80’s etc.

Refer to the rubric on Migration Research Project/ Oral History that gives information on the background of who you will be interviewing.

Typical questions one might ask:

Tell me about your beginnings?
How far back in history can you recall your family history/
Were you born in an urban or rural area? How do you remember the area when you were young?
Tell me a story about your family? (GRAND PARENTS, PARENTS, UNCLES, AUNTS)
Do you have any siblings? If so, how many? Tell me about your siblings?
What were your early years growing up like?
What was your schooling like, describe.
Tell me about a significant experience during your formative years?

Who significantly influenced your life? Are there any events that changed your life?
Name at least two events involving family that changed your life?
Finish the sentence ______________makes my family unique.

What was the status of African Americans when you were younger?
How have things changed?
What would you like your family to know about you?
What life lessons have you taught? What legacy do you think you have left?
What message would you like to leave to your children or your grandchildren?

Points

100

Select 2 lectures below from the choice of 18 below under the you tube link- 50 points each

African-American History: Modern Freedom Struggle by Dr. Claybourne Carson

All 18 video lectures can be found on YouTube (Links to an external site.)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40E11D5C66CAC48C

Write an essay of at least 3 paragraphs on any lecture under African American Learning Resources.   African American Learning Resources are found in the Module tab to the left. Use the SEE, THINK AND DO METHOD.  What were the important facts of the lecture, What is your interpretation or impression of the lecture and lastly what did they do that impacted history the most.  See, Think and Do is in your Syllabus.

Can use 

SEE, THINK AND DO MODEL

Topic of Discussion-
What do you see? Write about the facts
(The present or what the past revealed to those in the time period we are studying)

What do you think?
Analysis of the period or past event  based on your interpretation or opinion of the facts?

What did they do?
Problem solving-alleviate the situation, solve , improve or make progress on- the impact of history.