Question
What brought on the end of Reconstruction?
Responses
A Civil Rights Act of 1875Civil Rights Act of 1875
B Democrats’ rise to power in Congress in 1874Democrats’ rise to power in Congress in 1874
C Liberal Republicans' split the party in 1872Liberal Republicans' split the party in 1872
D President Hayes’s removal of federal troops from the South in 1877
Responses
A Civil Rights Act of 1875Civil Rights Act of 1875
B Democrats’ rise to power in Congress in 1874Democrats’ rise to power in Congress in 1874
C Liberal Republicans' split the party in 1872Liberal Republicans' split the party in 1872
D President Hayes’s removal of federal troops from the South in 1877
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The end of Reconstruction is most directly attributed to **D: President Hayes’s removal of federal troops from the South in 1877**. This action effectively marked the withdrawal of federal support for Reconstruction efforts and allowed Southern Democrats to regain control over state governments, leading to the establishment of Jim Crow laws and the disenfranchisement of Black voters. While the other options contributed to the broader context of the decline of Reconstruction, Hayes’s withdrawal of troops was a significant turning point that led to the formal end of the Reconstruction era.