Question

After the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, why did African Americans continue to experience political oppression?
The amendments were not intended to exclusively solve African American problems.
• Southern legislatures enacted Jim Crow laws.
• Many African Americans did not trust that the amendments would be upheld.
• Poor communication kept African Americans from learning about their rights.

Answer 1

• Voter suppression tactics, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, were used to prevent African Americans from voting.
• Violence and intimidation, including lynchings and the Ku Klux Klan, were used to discourage political participation.
• Institutional racism and discrimination limited African Americans' access to education, employment, and other opportunities, making it difficult to compete politically.
• The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) entrenched the separate but equal doctrine, allowing segregation to continue and further limiting African American political power.