Answer:
D) They first gained voting rights and then lost them
Explanation:
After the Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction, Congress passed several laws that ensured that African Americans were able to have several rights respected, including voting rights. The 15th Amendment ensured that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”.
But when President Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became president, the Reconstruction lost its power, the Southern states became more powerful. The decision was taken by the US Supreme Court in the United States v. Cruikshank also helped to diminish African American rights. With that, the Black Codes came to life. The Black Codes limited the rights that the African Americans had gained before, such as the right to vote. There were imposed literacy tests or poll taxes which limited their rights and even blocked them from voting.
