What was the purpose of literacy tests during reconstruction?

Literacy tests during Reconstruction, while ostensibly designed to ensure voters understood the ballot and the responsibilities of citizenship, were primarily used to disenfranchise Black voters. They were a tool of white Southern Democrats who sought to regain political control after the Civil War. Since many formerly enslaved people were illiterate, these tests disproportionately affected their ability to vote, effectively undermining the progress made toward racial equality during Reconstruction. The tests were often administered arbitrarily and unfairly, with different standards applied to white and Black voters.