"We are to be subjected to the rule of our former slaves, directed by Northern adventurers. The acts of Congress dismantle our state governments and force us to ratify amendments that subvert the natural order of society by granting political equality to those who are completely unprepared for it."
— Editorial, *The Richmond Enquirer*, 1867
Which of the following Reconstruction-era measures was the author of the editorial most directly responding to?
- The establishment of military districts in the South and the congressional requirement that states ratify the Fourteenth AmendmentAnswer
- BThe attempts by President Andrew Johnson to strictly enforce the civil rights of freedmen during Presidential Reconstruction
- CThe ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to guarantee equal protection and voting rights for all citizens
- DThe Supreme Court's efforts to expand federal civil rights protections under the Fourteenth Amendment in the late 1860s
Answer
The establishment of military districts in the South and the congressional requirement that states ratify the Fourteenth Amendment
The correct answer is correct because the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, passed by Radical Republicans in Congress, divided the former Confederacy into five military districts, invalidated the existing state governments, and made readmission to the Union conditional upon the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. This massive expansion of federal authority and shift toward political equality for African Americans was highly controversial and strongly opposed by white Southern Democrats, as represented by the Richmond Enquirer editorial.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Congressional Reconstruction and the Reconstruction Amendments