Voter suppression has been a pervasive and insidious tactic used to disenfranchise Black Americans throughout U.S. history.

During the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War, Black Americans gained the right to vote with the passage of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1870. However, in the decades that followed, various states in the South implemented discriminatory practices such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to prevent Black citizens from exercising their right to vote. These measures disproportionately affected Black voters and effectively disenfranchised them.

Furthermore, violent intimidation tactics such as lynchings, bombings, and other forms of racial violence were used to deter Black individuals from attempting to register to vote. Organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and White Citizens' Councils actively worked to intimidate and suppress Black voters through threats and acts of violence.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s brought renewed attention to the issue of voter suppression. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to address and combat voting discrimination against Black Americans, particularly in the South. The Act prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory practices and also authorized federal oversight of voting procedures in areas with a history of voter suppression.

Despite the progress made with the Voting Rights Act, voter suppression tactics targeting Black communities have continued to evolve in more subtle forms such as voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and purging voter rolls. These efforts continue to undermine the political power and representation of Black Americans in the electoral process. Efforts to combat voter suppression and protect voting rights remain ongoing struggles within the fight for racial equity and justice in America.