Indicate how militant white opposition gradually undermined the Republican attempt to empower southern blacks.

Militant white opposition was able to gradually undermine the initial attempts to empower southern blacks by layering on different legislative measures to restrict African American participation again, like literacy restrictions for voting and having to pay poll taxes.

Explanation:

Reconstruction led to many back and forth measures on the part of the federal government and the Southern States that were seeking to re-enter the Union but were still resentful of the social changes being mandated from Washington. The radical Republicans in the House and Senate had made the state governments in the South ratify Amendments like the 14th and 15th that granted civil rights to all African Americans. After the initial hesitation and back-stepping that occurred with President Johnson, the House and Senate were able to pressure the Southern States to adopt more progressive measures. For a few years there was black representation in many states and even some Congressmen and Senators were elected federally like Hiram Rhodes Revels and Jefferson F. Long. But that was soon rescinded as the states started adopting legislative measures to restrict African American participation again, like voting restrictions and having to pay poll taxes.