what is the origin of the term grandfather clause 
the term grandfather clause was coined to describe laws put in place in the south after the u s civil war to prevent african americans from voting new laws governing who could and could not vote were implemented that required literacy tests owning property and the payment of poll taxes however anyone whose grandfather had had the right to vote was exempt from these new laws hence the name as slaves were considered property and thus could not vote it ensured that all african americans would be subject to the new voting restrictions while most white americans would not the bottom linethough born in the infamy of racism the term grandfather clause has survived the years and come to be viewed as benign and untethered to its origins it describes a legal clause that provides an exemption to adhering to a new law or standard it is most often used to prevent unfair advantage and is frequently limited in duration for example allowing older businesses to get up to speed and comply with new regulations while amortizing the costs of doing so it can also be limited by circumstance such as when an area is rezoned from commercial to residential but existing businesses are allowed to stay in operation so long as that operation is continuous sometimes it exists in perpetuity 