In United States Reconstruction era history, what did the Civil Rights Act of 1875 primarily attempt to guarantee for African Americans?

Introduction / Context:
After the American Civil War, the United States entered the Reconstruction era, during which Congress passed several measures to define and protect the rights of newly freed African Americans. One of these measures was the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This law is an important topic in both United States history and world history surveys because it shows early attempts to guarantee equal treatment in public life. The question asks you to identify the main goal of this specific act.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The law in question is the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
• The historical context is the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.
• The options mention voting rights, rights of former Confederate soldiers, public accommodations and segregated schools.

Concept / Approach:
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 aimed to prohibit racial discrimination in certain public places such as inns, public transportation and theaters. It tried to guarantee that African Americans would receive equal access to public accommodations and could not be excluded simply because of their race. It did not focus on voting rights, which were addressed by the Fifteenth Amendment, and it did not restore rights to former Confederates. It also did not create a doctrine of separate but equal schools. Therefore, the correct approach is to recall that the act centred on public accommodations and equal treatment in such facilities.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the specific law, which is the Civil Rights Act of 1875, not later twentieth century legislation. Step 2: Recall from history that this act attempted to guarantee African Americans equal access to certain public places such as hotels, railroads and theaters. Step 3: Note that voting protections were mainly connected to the Fifteenth Amendment and later enforcement acts, not this particular act. Step 4: Remember that the act had nothing to do with restoring rights to former Confederate soldiers or endorsing segregated schools. Step 5: Match this knowledge to the options and choose the statement about discrimination in public accommodations as correct.

Verification / Alternative Check:
History textbooks often compare the Civil Rights Act of 1875 with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Both deal with discrimination in public accommodations, but the 1875 act was later declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. When you see references to hotels, theaters and public transportation in the Reconstruction context, you should think of the 1875 act. This repeated association in reliable sources confirms that its main goal was to protect African Americans from discrimination in such places, not to regulate voting or schools directly.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The option about protecting African Americans against denial of the right to vote confuses this law with constitutional amendments and enforcement acts that focused on suffrage. The option about restoring civil rights to former Confederate soldiers refers to the process of readmitting southern leaders into political life, which was a different set of policies. The option describing separate but equal schools belongs more to later segregation laws and the Plessy era, not to the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which aimed at equal access, not legal segregation. These statements therefore misrepresent the law and are incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often mix up different civil rights measures because many dates and laws appear close together. A frequent mistake is to assume that any civil rights act must be about voting, or to project twentieth century segregation debates backward onto the Reconstruction period. To avoid this, connect each law with its specific focus and with key phrases. For the Civil Rights Act of 1875, the key phrase is equal access to public accommodations. Keeping such associations clear in your notes will make similar questions much easier.

Final Answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 primarily attempted to protect African Americans from discrimination in public accommodations such as hotels and theaters, so that option is correct.