Question

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Benjamin Tillman served South Carolina as governor and U.S. senator. According to Tillman, what was the main reason for writing the South Carolina Constitution of 1895?
A.
to disenfranchise poor white farmers
B.
to increase the power of wealthy planters
C.
to increase Bourbon political power
D.
to disenfranchise African American voters

Answer 1

D. To disenfranchise African American voters.

Tillman openly argued the 1895 constitution’s measures (poll tax, literacy tests, etc.) were designed to eliminate Black men from the electorate and restore white Democratic control.