What was the immediate political consequence of the end of Reconstruction for Southern Black rights?

• A. Gains were expanded nationwide by federal laws.
• B. The federal government increased enforcement of civil rights.
• C. The gains from Reconstruction were rolled back by Redeemers.
• D. Black suffrage nationwide became universal.

Answer: (C)

The immediate political consequence is that Reconstruction-era gains for Southern Black rights were rolled back as Redeemers regained control of Southern state governments after federal troops left in 1877. When federal enforcement waned and white Southern Democrats reasserted dominance, states moved to reduce Black political power through discriminatory laws and practices, ending the era of federally protected rights in practice and laying the groundwork for Jim Crow. This shift shows why the outcome wasn’t a nationwide expansion of rights, nor an increase in federal enforcement, nor universal Black suffrage.