Poll Taxes

Definition

A poll tax is a fee that was required to be paid in order for an individual to vote. This was used primarily in the South during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a way to prevent African Americans from voting.

Related terms

Jim Crow Laws: These were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Disenfranchisement: The removal or suspension of the right of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people.

Civil Rights Act of 1964: A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.