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Preferred term

grandfather clauses  

Definition

  • State laws, once widely enforced throughout the South, that required all voters to pass a literacy test or to show that their ancestors had been entitled to vote prior to a certain date. These clauses were used routinely to deny blacks the right to vote. [Source: Student's Guide to the Supreme Court; Grandfather Clauses]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/grandfather_clauses

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