Question

Which statement best describes a consequence of Reconstruction policies during the 1870s?
Reconstruction-era policies successfully restored the economy in the South and gave African Americans new opportunities.
Reconstruction-era policies often failed to protect African Americans from racial violence and safeguard their political rights.
Reconstruction-era policies created ironclad laws that prohibited legal segregation, although illegal segregation often occurred.
Reconstruction-era policies failed to establish any civil rights legislation, which would not be written until the 1

Answer 1

"Reconstruction-era policies often failed to protect African Americans from racial violence and safeguard their political rights."

Brief justification: Although Reconstruction produced the 13th–15th Amendments and some civil-rights laws, enforcement weakened in the 1870s (Supreme Court rulings, waning Northern commitment, and the 1877 Compromise). White paramilitary violence (e.g., the KKK), intimidation, and local laws effectively disenfranchised Black voters and allowed segregation and discrimination to grow.