[CIVIL RIGHTS]. Voting registration examination. [Etowah County, Alabama], n.d.

Approx. 6 x 3 3/8 in. paper examination (creasing, soiling, some minor chipping to edges and corners). Printed "Examination in U. S. History" with 6 questions or prompts listed and instructions to "Omit one; five questions required." Questions/prompts include: "Name three noted explorer, giving their nationality;" "By whom and for what purpose were the following settlements made: (a) Virginia, (b) Georgia, (c) New York, (d) Pennsylvania, (e) Maryland;" "Explain the Monroe Doctrine;" and "How did the United States come into possession of the following: (a) Florida, (b) The Hawaiian Islands, (c) Porto [sic] Rico, (d) The Philippine Islands, (e) Alaska?"

Once the 15th Amendment was ratified and African Americans won the right to vote, many states began introducing literacy tests as a safeguard to keep certain people from actually casting a ballot. These tests, along with other obstacles, disproportionately affected poor African Americans in the South with minimal literacy skills. These tests took many forms, but some relied on abstract interpretive questions that could be easily rejected for errors. Others required a thorough understanding of local law enforcement. Others still required an in-depth knowledge of U.S. History, like the example featured here. The NAACP voter registration program eventually created sample tests and applications to prepare and educate African Americans before they went to register to vote. These kinds of discriminatory practices continued until the enactment of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting.