The infamous "grandfather clauses" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries stated that people who exerted their right to vote prior to 1866, as their descendants, were exempt of certain requerements for voting such as the owning of property, payment of poll taxes and literacy tests.
Explanation:
These clauses existed in many Southern states and were a direct attempt to prevent African-Americans from voting. They were outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1915 that decided they were against the 15th Amendment. Despite this decision African-Americans in some Southern states were able to vote only after the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
