Revive Your Knowledge with the 2026 Reconstruction Era U.S. History Quiz – Get Set to Build History!

During Reconstruction, many white Southerners insisted on white racial supremacy and saw Black enfranchisement as a direct threat to that order. White Republicans in the South who supported Black voters were accused of breaking with that racial community, so they were labeled as traitors to their race. This phrase captured the idea that true loyalty meant upholding white supremacy, and anyone aiding Black political rights was betraying that duty. The other options don’t fit because they refer to different groups or praise; “heroes of Reconstruction” would come from supporters, “loyalists to the Union” doesn't convey the racial betrayal claim, and “carpetbaggers” denotes Northerners, not Southern whites who supported Black suffrage.