Which legislation required states to accept black suffrage for re-admittance into the Union?

The Reconstruction Act of 1867 was the legislation that mandated states to ensure black suffrage as a prerequisite for their re-admittance into the Union following the Civil War. This act established the process for Reconstruction in the Southern states, dividing them into military districts governed by Union generals. A key provision of the act required these states to draft new constitutions that guaranteed voting rights to African American men.

The significance of this legislation lies in its role in the broader Reconstruction efforts aimed at integrating formerly enslaved individuals into American civic life. By linking re-admittance to the acceptance of black suffrage, the Reconstruction Act sought to secure civil rights for African Americans and mitigate the influence of former Confederates in state governments.

In contrast, the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 aimed to grant citizenship rights and protect the civil liberties of all individuals regardless of race but did not specifically tie those provisions to re-admittance procedures. The Tenure of Office Act of 1867 was focused on limiting the president's power to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval, and the 15th Amendment, ratified later in 1870, actually codified the right to vote for African American men but was not a re-admittance requirement. Therefore,