Which best explains why many African Americans had not registered to vote by the 1960s?

Many African Americans had not registered to vote by the 1960s primarily due to systemic barriers and discriminatory practices. These included:

1. Jim Crow Laws: These were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States, making it difficult for African Americans to exercise their voting rights.

2. Literacy Tests and Poll Taxes: These were used to disenfranchise African American voters. Literacy tests were often unfair and designed to be failed, while poll taxes required payment to vote, which many African Americans could not afford.

3. Intimidation and Violence: African Americans faced threats and violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan if they attempted to register to vote or actually vote.

4. Lack of Legal Protection: Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there was insufficient federal protection for African Americans facing discrimination at the polls.

These factors combined to create a hostile environment that discouraged or outright prevented many African Americans from registering to vote.