Despite the gains made by civil rights activists across the state of Alabama, the Black Belt city of Selma remained a bastion of racial discrimination. In particular, the city’s segregationist leadership excelled at disenfranchising the African American community. By 1964 whites made up less than half of the population of Dallas County but constituted 99 percent of the registered voters. Between 1962 and 1964, despite increased federal pressure, county registrars rejected seven of every eight blacks who attempted to join voter rolls. Applicants were required to pass a lengthy “literacy test,” which included questions on the Constitution and American governmental structure, a reading test, and a dictation exercise. To make matters worse, the registrar’s office only opened two days each month.
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Becoming Alabama:
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