Button, "Abolish Poll Tax: 100% Democracy," circa 1950

By the late 1800s, most southern states had adopted poll taxes -- a way to keep blacks from voting. Several states still retained the law by 1950. The person who wore this button protested the injustice of paying to vote. Poll taxes were abolished with the passage of the 24th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution (1964) and subsequent court rulings (1966).