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Difficulty: MediumResistance to Reconstruction and its Ultimate Collapse

"In 1877 we lost all hopes. The Democrats had got the state government, and they said we should not vote, and that we should not have any schools, and that we should not have any rights. They told us that the ground belonged to them, and we belonged to them..."

— Testimony of Henry Adams, former enslaved person in Louisiana, 1880

Which of the following historical developments in the South during and after 1877 most directly contributed to the "loss of hopes" described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The implementation of Presidential Reconstruction, which divided the South into military districts to enforce black suffrage.
  2. The withdrawal of federal military forces, which allowed Southern Democrats to reclaim state governments and restrict African American civil rights.Answer
  3. C
    The passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which permitted Southern states to legally deny citizenship to former slaves.
  4. D
    The rise of popular sovereignty, which allowed Southern state legislatures to vote on the re-legalization of chattel slavery.

Answer

The withdrawal of federal military forces, which allowed Southern Democrats to reclaim state governments and restrict African American civil rights.
The correct answer is the option describing the withdrawal of federal military forces. The Compromise of 1877 settled the contested presidential election of 1876 by pulling the remaining federal occupation troops out of the South. Without the protection of the federal military, Southern Republican governments collapsed, allowing conservative white Democrats (known as Redeemers) to take control of state governments and enact laws that disenfranchised Black voters, dismantled public schools for African Americans, and limited their civil rights.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document.
The source is an 1880 testimony by Henry Adams, a former enslaved person in Louisiana, describing the year 1877 as a turning point where Democrats took over state governments and disenfranchised African Americans.
Understanding the context of 1877 and the feelings of disenfranchisement helps connect the quote to political shifts.
2
Connect the year 1877 to key historical events of the Reconstruction era.
The year 1877 marks the Compromise of 1877, which resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election by seating Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the withdrawal of the remaining federal troops from the South.
Identifying the political compromise explains why Southern Democrats were able to reclaim state governments without federal interference.
3
Evaluate the options to identify which development matches this historical retreat.
The option stating that federal troops were withdrawn, leading to the rise of Redeemer governments and the restriction of African American civil rights, directly aligns with the events of 1877 and Adams' testimony.
This shows how the end of federal intervention allowed Southern white Democrats to establish local control and dismantle Reconstruction protections.

Key Concept

The collapse of Reconstruction and the withdrawal of federal troops in 1877.
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Topics

Resistance to Reconstruction and its Ultimate Collapse

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