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.

1 answer

• 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.