Read the excerpt from Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. As a rule, I believe in universal, free suffrage, but I believe that in the South we are confronted with peculiar conditions that justify the protection of the ballot in many of the states, for a while at least, either by an education test, a property test, or by both combined; but whatever tests are required, they should be made to apply with equal and exact justice to both races. What is the main claim the author makes?
Answer
A
Education and property tests should be requirements for some people.
B
The South has particular conditions that need to be taken into account.
C
Everyone should be allowed to vote everywhere without discrimination.
D
Any test that is given before voting needs to be required for all equally.
Explanation
Washington says that education or property tests may be used in the South for a time, but insists that any test must apply “with equal and exact justice to both races.” That makes equal application of voting requirements his main claim. The South’s particular conditions in choice B explain why he considers tests, but they are not his central point.
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