What year marked a significant change in Reconstruction efforts in the South?

• A. 1867
• B. 1861
• C. 1865
• D. 1877

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is a shift to Congressional Reconstruction, with the federal government taking an active, centralized role in rebuilding the South. In 1867, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, which put the former Confederate states under military rule, dividing the South into five districts. These acts required new state constitutions, guaranteed Black male suffrage, and demanded ratification of the 14th Amendment for readmission to the Union. This marked a move away from the more lenient approach of presidential Reconstruction and established a period of Radical Reconstruction with strong federal oversight.

The other dates point to different moments: 1861 is the start of the Civil War, not Reconstruction policy; 1865 ends the war and begins Reconstruction but without the formal federal takeover; 1877 signals the end of Reconstruction with troops withdrawn, not the turning point in policy.