What lasting effect did the 1865-66 elections have on political power in the South?

• A. They permanently established Republican dominance in the South.
• B. They temporarily reshaped political power, with Republican governments and new legislatures, but it was not permanent.
• C. They had no influence on policy outcomes.
• D. They led to immediate universal suffrage across the South.

Answer: (B)

The elections of 1865–66 showed a real, though temporary, shift in Southern political power during Reconstruction. With federal backing, troops in place, and new rights for freedpeople, Republican-led state governments and new legislatures emerged in several former Confederate states, and African American voters and officeholders played a visible role. This produced concrete reforms and a different political landscape for a time. Yet that change was not lasting. As federal enforcement waned and Reconstruction ended, white Southern leaders—often calling themselves Redeemers—reasserted control, rolled back many gains for Black voters, and established Jim Crow systems. So the lasting effect is best described as a temporary reshaping of power, rather than a permanent realignment.