What was the most direct consequence of the passage of the black codes after the civil war?
the return to power of white democrats
a populist uprising against plantation owners
the ratification of the fourteenth amendment
a shortage of agricultural workers in the south

the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Explanation:

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was one of the direct consequences of the passage of the Black Codes after the Civil War. The amendment addresses citizenship rights as well as equal protection of the laws. The amendment was proposed as a solution to the issues of former slaves, and in particular to the rise of white supremacists. The amendment was bitterly litigated, especially by the former Confederacy.

The correct answer is C) the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The most direct consequence of the passage of the Black Codes after the Civil War was the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The black codes were a series of rules and legislation in the Southern states of the US after the Civil War aimed to limit the freedom of African Americans.

The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment occurred on July 28, 1868. And it was important legislation for the time because it granted citizenship to all the people born and naturalized in the US. And of course, this included former black slaves. The amendment prohibited states to deny people's liberty or property.