"All persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed, are hereby declared to be citizens of the United States; and such citizens, of every race and color... shall have the same right... to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give evidence." — Civil Rights Act of 1866
Congress passed this act primarily to counteract:
- A
The Supreme Court's ruling in Ex parte Milligan
- Bcheck_circle
Black Codes enacted by Southern state governments under Presidential Reconstruction
- C
Tariff revisions advanced by Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase
- D
Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan amnesty proclamations
Explanation
Congress passed the act over Andrew Johnson's veto specifically to override Southern Black Codes that restricted freedpeople's economic rights and citizenship.