Disenfranchisement

Disenfranchisement can be described as a Southern "progressive" reform that was supposed to guarantee that in years to come, neither of the white factions would rally Negro support against the other. It would also alter Southern elections by taking away significant Black votes. This was done by passing property and literacy qualifications that had loopholes for white men only. Poll taxes that required a fee for voting that most Blacks could not afford were also enacted. Further, the "grandfather clause" stated that only people who had ancestors that could vote prior to 1867 were allowed to vote. The effectiveness of disenfranchisement is obvious. In Louisiana in 1896, there were 130, 334 Negro voters, whereas in 1904, there were only 1,342.

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