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Difficulty: MediumReconstruction and the Reconstruction Amendments

"A claim for the immediate admission of senators and representatives from the so-called Confederate States... is based upon the assumption that the states lately in rebellion have never ceased to be states of the Union... But the committee are of the opinion that... the states which rebelled... forfeited all civil and political rights under the Constitution, and can only be restored upon such terms as Congress may prescribe."
— Joint Committee on Reconstruction, Majority Report, 1866

Which of the following was the most direct consequence of the perspective expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The immediate implementation of President Andrew Johnson’s lenient Reconstruction policies
  2. The division of the South into military districts under the Reconstruction Acts of 1867Answer
  3. C
    The ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to guarantee equal protection under the law
  4. D
    The passage of Southern Black Codes to define the terms of Southern readmission to the Union

Answer

The division of the South into military districts under the Reconstruction Acts of 1867.
The report by the Joint Committee on Reconstruction asserted that Congress, rather than the President, had the ultimate authority to determine the terms under which Southern states could be readmitted to the Union. This view directly led to the passage of the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, which rejected President Johnson's lenient policy, divided the South into five military districts, and required Southern states to draft new constitutions and ratify the Fourteenth Amendment to gain readmission.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main argument in the stimulus document.
The Joint Committee on Reconstruction argues that rebel states forfeited their constitutional rights and that Congress, not the executive branch, has the authority to dictate readmission terms.
This establishes the core ideological conflict between Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction.
2
Determine the subsequent historical event that represents the implementation of this congressional authority.
Congress rejected President Johnson's lenient approach and took control of Reconstruction by passing the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, which divided the South into five military districts.
This directly connects the committee's perspective to its policy outcome.
3
Select the option that matches the identified historical policy outcome.
The division of the South into military districts represents the direct application of congressional authority outlined in the report.
This isolates the correct answer while validating that other choices are either chronologically or conceptually incorrect.

Key Concept

Congressional Reconstruction vs. Presidential Reconstruction
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Reconstruction and the Reconstruction Amendments

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