"The Fifteenth Amendment does not confer the right of suffrage upon any one. It prevents the States, or the United States, however, from giving preference, in this particular, to one citizen of the United States over another on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Before its adoption, this could be done. It was as much within the power of a State to exclude citizens of the United States from voting on account of race... as it was on account of age, property, or education. Now it is not."
—United States Supreme Court, *United States v. Reese* (1876)
Based on the passage, which of the following was a direct historical consequence of the Supreme Court's ruling?
- The implementation of state-level voting restrictions, such as literacy tests, that did not explicitly mention raceAnswer
- BThe passage of the Enforcement Acts by Congress to curb white supremacist violence at voting places
- CThe strengthening of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause in Southern states
- DA broad expansion of federal authority over state-level voter registration policies
Answer
The implementation of state-level voting restrictions, such as literacy tests, that did not explicitly mention race
The correct answer is correct because the Supreme Court's ruling in *United States v. Reese* established a narrow reading of the Fifteenth Amendment, stating it did not confer suffrage but only prohibited discrimination based on race. This allowed Southern states to circumvent the amendment by implementing non-racial voting barriers, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses, effectively disenfranchising African American voters and dismantling Reconstruction-era political gains.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The role of the federal judiciary in weakening Reconstruction and enabling Southern disenfranchisement