Read the excerpt from Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. I do not believe that any state should make a law that permits an ignorant and poverty-stricken white man to vote, and prevents a black man in the same condition from voting. Such a law is not only unjust, but it will react, as all unjust laws do, in time; for the effect of such a law is to encourage the Negro to secure education and property, and at the same time it encourages the white man to remain in ignorance and poverty. What is the author’s main claim?
Answer
A
States should not make laws allowing White men to vote while preventing Black men from voting.
B
States should prohibit people from voting if they live in poverty or are uneducated.
C
Unfair laws encourage people to seek higher education.
D
Voting laws that are not enacted equally are unfair.
Explanation
Washington’s main claim is that a state should not let an ignorant, poor white man vote while keeping a Black man in the same condition from voting. He calls that kind of law unjust and says it will eventually backfire. Choice C describes one effect he mentions, but it is not his central claim.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.