The Senator knows that we in Louisiana repealed the poll tax many years ago. and did it by constitutional amendment. on which the people voted. but I would gain the impression that if this bill is constitutional at all. in other words. if Congress has any power at all to strike down a literacy test which is aphlied equally to all people. by the same token it would have power to strike down the poll tax. After all. the theory of abolishing literacy tests by congressional action would be on the basis that once the Negroes had been guaranteed the right to vote and were denied that right and discriminated against because of race. certain people wanted to stop them from voting on the ground that they were ignorant. and so they found this way to do it. By so doing they would disfranchise some white people. but would disfranchise practically all of the newly freed slaves. In addition. some people said. "They are poor.
Identified stereotypes
Generalization about newly freed slaves being ignorant and poor.