Which document required Southern states to create new constitutions and ensure the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment?

The Reconstruction Act of 1867 is the correct answer because it was a significant piece of legislation aimed at reorganizing the Southern states after the Civil War. This act required Southern states to draft new constitutions that would guarantee civil rights, specifically the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

The Reconstruction Act established military oversight in the South, requiring these states to comply with the conditions set forth in order to be readmitted into the Union. This included the enfranchisement of African American men, as well as other civil rights guarantees. The act was a fundamental part of the broader Reconstruction effort to rebuild the nation and address the issues of slavery and secession.

Other options, like the Emancipation Proclamation, primarily focused on the abolition of slavery rather than the governance of Southern states. The Homestead Act aimed at promoting westward expansion through land grants and did not address the constitutional requirements of Southern states. The Fifteenth Amendment, while important for voting rights, was enacted after the Reconstruction Act and did not require states to create new constitutions. Thus, the Reconstruction Act of 1867 is directly connected to the mandates placed upon the Southern states regarding