AMH Ch16
Identify the institutions that proved to be essential in easing the transition for many southern blacks from slavery to freedom.
1) schools 2) churches 3) the U.S. military
Describe the impact of the Panic of 1873 on Congressional Reconstruction efforts.
1) reduced the emphasis northern voters placed on reconstructing the South 2) weakened the national economy
Read the excerpt from William A. Dunning's 1901 essay, in which he explains why Reconstruction failed. "Before the last state was restored to the Union the process was well under way through which the resumption of control by the whites was to be effected. The tendency in this direction was greatly promoted by conditions within the Republican party itself. ... The personnel of the party was declining in character through the return to the North of the more substantial of the carpet-baggers, who found Southern conditions, both social and industrial, far from what they had anticipated, and through the very frequent instances in which the 'scalawags' ran to open disgrace. "Along with this deterioration in the white element of the party, the negroes who rose to prominence and leadership were very frequently of a type which acquired and practiced the tricks and knavery rather than the useful arts of politics, and the vicious courses of these negroes strongly confirmed the prejudices of the whites. ... Not even the relative quiet and order that followed the triumph of the whites in these states were recognized as justifying the new regime." Dunning's interpretation is now widely discredited. To understand why, select the statements below that demonstrate bias and false assumptions in his interpretation.
1) Derogatory labels like carpetbaggers and scalawags are used 2) The character of all members of the Republican Party was questionable
In 1865, Henry Adams left the plantation where he had been enslaved. A group of whites confronted him on the road, asked the name of his owner, and beat him when he declared, "I now belong to no one." How does the response to Henry Adams's claim reflect the status of slaves post-emancipation?
1) It embodied the general feeling among southern whites who resented the new status of African Americans 2) It illustrated the complex status of African Americans after the war, as many did not immediately enjoy equal status 3) It demonstrated why some slaves left plantations for cities
Put the following events that led up to the end of Reconstruction in chronological order.
1) Lincoln is assassinated 2) The black codes are created 3) The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified 4) Congress passes the Military Reconstruction Act 5) Redeemers begin to control southern states 6) The Compromise of 1877 ends Congressional Reconstruction
Put the following Reconstruction events in chronological order.
1) Lincoln issues the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction 2) The Freedmen's Bureau is created 3) Johnson commences his "Restoration" Plan 4) The Civil Rights Act is passed 5) The Congressional Reconstruction acts are passed
Identify the ways in which the Civil War impacted the southern economy.
1) Most of the South's cotton was destroyed during the war or seized later by federal troops. 2) The war destroyed much of the infrastructure and left many major cities uninhabitable. 3) The war abolished the institution of slavery, which was a multibillion-dollar industry in the region.
Describe the status of race relations in the South by the end of Congressional Reconstruction.
1) Most southern whites still opposed civil rights and social equality for African Americans. 2) The majority of southern whites were members of the Democratic Party.
Identify all of the outcomes of the Compromise of 1877.
1) Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared president. 2) Federal troops were removed from the South.
Identify the ways southern whites reacted to Reconstruction.
1) The Ku Klux Klan and similar groups emerged. 2) The traditional planter elite wanted to "redeem" the South from Republican rule. 3) Southern elites developed ways to indirectly control freed blacks.
Identify the significant political repercussions of the contested elections of 1876.
1) The political will to protect the civil rights of blacks in the South dissipated significantly after the Compromise of 1877 2) Hayes ordered federal troops to withdraw from the South, leading to the collapse of Republican governments across the South 3) The Civil War legacy prevents Tilden from protesting Haye's victory for fear of more war
Identify all of the aspects of the Radical Republicans' stance on Reconstruction.
1) They believed Congress alone should be in control of Reconstruction. 2) They consistently argued that southern society should be drastically transformed.
Identify all the ways the Freedmen's Bureau assisted recently freed slaves in their transition to life outside bondage.
1) established schools so that former slaves could have the opportunity to learn to read and write 2) provided health care, clothing, and food to recently freed slaves to help them establish themselves 3) assisted former slaves in finding family members from whom they had been separated during the course of their enslavement 4) negotiated labor contracts between freed blacks and white employers in the South
Put in chronological order the events that led to the end of Congressional Reconstruction.
1) passage of the Public Credit Act 2) Black Friday 3) passage of the Enforcement Acts 4) presidential victory of Rutherford B. Hayes
Strong northern support for Congressional Reconstruction, and specifically the protection of African American civil rights, waned during the Grant administration and afterward. What issues contributed to the shift in northern political priorities?
>Indian wars >political controversies over economic issues >the rise of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan
As the war waned, Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. What were some of the components that made up Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction?
>It allowed former Rebel states to form Union governments if they met certain requirements. >It excluded Confederate government officials, senior military officers, and congressmen from pardon.
Identify the events and groups that contributed to the end of Congressional Reconstruction.
>Ku Klux Klan >Compromise of 1877 >Panic of 1873 >redeemers
Identify all of the statements that accurately describe the conclusions one would draw about Reconstruction from this drawing.
>Tactics of violence used during slavery are still being used against black males. >The justice system is blind to the abuses taking place.
Identify the five military districts governed by generals put in place by Congress after the defeat of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
>Texas >FL >AR >VA >NC
----- in the South differed between states, but they shared common features such as restricting black ----- rights by prohibiting them from ----- against whites and serving on -----, as well as enforcing ----- laws against the recently emancipated black community.
Black codes legal testifying juries vagrancy
According to the -----, if the -----states had actually seceded and were conquered -----, then the ----- branch would be in charge of reconstructing the South.
Constitution southern territories legislative
During Ulysses S. Grant's two terms as president, Reconstruction remained the dominant political issue for the majority of northern voters.
False
Johnson proved to be a strong supporter of black civil rights throughout his presidency.
False
President Johnson's veto of a bill renewing the Freedmen's Bureau, as well as his criticism of Radical Republican support for black civil rights, did little to drive a wedge between the two wings of the Republican party.
False
After the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, Congress assumed authority over Reconstruction. How did Congressional Reconstruction efforts affect the lives of African Americans in the South?
Former slaves began to gain political influence and vote in large numbers
What was Johnson's approach to Reconstruction upon assuming the presidency following Lincoln's assassination?
He continued the "Restoration" Plan developed by Lincoln
Which statement best describes the economic prospects of African Americans in the South during Reconstruction?
Many opted for sharecropping due to lack of money and land
What group of people was not protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1866?
Native Americans
Identify the following southern groups by matching the labels with the appropriate descriptions.
Opportunistic northerners who rushed south to grab political power. >carpetbaggers Native southern opponents of secession who became Republicans after the war and supported Reconstruction. >scalawags Group that began as a social club but quickly evolved into a major symbol of white resistance to Congressional Reconstruction. >Ku Klux Klan Poor farmers who were provided with land, tools, and seed by landowners in exchange for a portion of the harvest. >sharecroppers
The question of who within the federal government had authority over Reconstruction was a major source of debate. What was Lincoln's position?
Southern states had never left the Union, so the executive branch had authority over Reconstruction
Monetary debates, such as those over greenbacks, became a major political issue during the Reconstruction era. What was the primary motivation for supporters of "soft money" policies to advocate for the distribution of greenbacks?
The widespread distribution of greenbacks meant higher prices for crops and more money to pay off debts
Lincoln believed that the Confederate states had never actually left the Union. Why was his view important in deciding how these states would be reintegrated into the Union after the Civil War?
The executive branch of the federal government is in charge of reconstituting state governments, so that meant it was Lincoln's responsibility to re-form the state governments.
In what way were southern redeemers successful in their attempts to weaken Reconstruction?
They eroded northern interest in Reconstruction through a combination of voter intimidation and mobilization of the southern white vote
Although most northerners in the postwar South were there to help rebuild the economy, critics referred to them as carpetbaggers, opportunists who came purely to gain political control.
True
Human casualties and injuries were so great during the Civil War that some southern states spent 20 percent or more of their annual budget on health care for veterans.
True
Religious life was significant for African Americans after the Civil War because black churches were the first social institution that former slaves could control.
True
The chief debate within the federal government over who should direct the Reconstruction of the South was between the executive and legislative branches of government.
True
While Reconstruction did not immediately provide a full protection of economic opportunities or social equality for African Americans, it did leave behind a constitutional legacy that allowed for future civil rights achievements.
True
Which of the following arguments is best supported by this excerpt from an 1865 Mississippi law on vagrancy? "All freedmen, free negroes and mulattoes in this State, over the age of eighteen years, found on the second Monday in January, 1866, or thereafter, with no lawful employment or business, or found unlawfully assembling themselves together, either in the day or night time ... shall be deemed vagrants, and on conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not exceeding ... fifty dollars ... and imprisoned at the discretion of the court ... not exceeding ten days."
White southerners sought to use vagrancy laws to gain free African American labor
What is the following passage an excerpt from? "All freedmen, free negroes and mulattoes in this State, over the age of eighteen years, found on the second Monday in January, 1866, or thereafter, with no lawful employment or business, or found unlawfully assembling themselves together, either in the day or night time ... shall be deemed vagrants, and on conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not exceeding ... fifty dollars ... and imprisoned at the discretion of the court ... not exceeding ten days."
a black code
Describe the legacy of Republican rule in the South during Reconstruction.
accomplished a significant number of achievements despite hostile circumstance
Congressional Reconstruction in the South enabled the majority of blacks to experience -, but not -. The - of Congressional Reconstruction helped perpetuate the long-standing - against African Americans. While oppressive systems such as sharecropping and - still existed during and after Reconstruction, some of the failures of the Reconstruction Era laid the groundwork for the - nearly a century later.
freedom equality collapse discrimination voter suppression civil rights movement
What impact did the failure of Congressional Reconstruction have on the Union?
it enabled white southerners to pursue discriminatory policies against African Americans
Identify the following Reconstruction plans. Note that some characteristics might belong to two or more plans, while some might not belong to any of the plans.
political equality for black men >Congressional Reconstruction plan established Confederate states as conquered territories governed by Congress >Congressional Reconstruction plan readmission to the Union for former Rebel states when at least 10 percent of those who voted in 1860 took an oath of allegiance to the Union >Lincoln's Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction readmission to the Union following ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment by the southern states >Johnson's "Restoration" Plan forced southern states to create new constitutions that ensured voting rights for African American men >Congressional Reconstruction plan
Identify the outcomes of Congressional Reconstruction that gave birth to a second reconstruction as the civil rights movement in the twentieth century.
ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
Identify whether each group supported or opposed Republican-led Reconstruction of the South.
supported Reconstruction: >African Americans >carpetbaggers >Radical Republicans opposed Reconstruction: >redeemers >Liberal Republicans
