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Smith v. Allwright (1944)
About this event
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
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