The reconstruction era highlighted the expansion of voting rights to those of color. A growing number of republicans believed in expanding the vote for many African American men and …show more content…
Many Southern states redefined their state constitution laws and implemented the use of literacy tests and annual poll taxes in order to disqualify specific groups from validating their vote in ballots. The end of the reconstruction era ultimately gave rise to the institutional racism instilled by the Republican Party. Racial discrimination in state voting laws certainly flourished in the state of Mississippi. The use of poll taxes were designed to target the poorest part of the state’s population. African Americans accounting for a large percentage in the state population were disqualified because they could not afford to contribute to the requirements. Secondly, the enactment of literacy tests undoubtedly remained as the most formidable voting barriers for many minority