chapter 15

Describe the arguments against Johnson's impeachment.

1. The defense argued that Johnson had not violated the Tenure of Office Act 2. others feared that conviction would damage the constitutional separation of powers between congress and the executive

Describe five specific restrictions made by the Black Codes.

1. limited access to the courts (cannot testify against whites) 2. cannot serve in juries 3. cannot serve in state military 4. required to work in plantations 5. limits occupation for blacks and blocked from attaining land

Describe at least three arguments against Reconstruction.

1. some whites cannot accept how former slaves are voting, holding office, and enjoying equality before the law 2. rapid growth of state budgets from public aid influenced bribery and other insider dealings. 3. the reconstruction was not helping the whites' economy

Describe the obstacles facing the fight for women's rights during Reconstruction.

1. the reconstruction created amendments to expand rights but it only focused on "males" 2. there was also two opposing parties on women's suffrage which didn't help the progression of women's suffrage 3. the courts were not compliant with the women who demanded equal rights

What led to Congress passing the Reconstruction Act?

?

Describe the Radical Republicans.

A political party in the north that strongly believe in equality for all. They also support expansion in the federal government.

What was the Ku Klux Klan?

A secret society and terrorist group formed by white southerners that opposed civil rights for African Americans. They went around killing anyone who supported black equality.

Describe the specific roles Black Americans played in the Reconstruction government.

Because there are black representatives, they can ensure that blacks accused of crimes would be tried before juries of their peers and enforcing fairness in such aspects of local gov. as road repair, tax assessment, and poor relief

Explain specific unorganized acts of violence against Black Americans.

Blacks were assaulted and murdered for refusing to give way to whites on city sidewalks. Some organizations sprang up to prevent blacks from voting and destroying the organization of the Republican Party.

In what ways does the contract limit the freedom of the laborers?

Contract is an written agreement that is issued by the superior authority to his workers to bind them to certain rules and work in the manner superior wants them to. So the contract limits the freedom of the laborers by making them obey any order given by the superior and also might have their pay cut off in case of disobedience and inefficiency towards work.

Describe what freedom meant to former slaves.

Freedom meant free from being whipped, sexually exploited, separated from families, and being denied access of education.

Describe Johnson's response to the Freedmen's Bureau and the Civil Rights Bill of 1866.

He thought it would centralize power in the national government and deprive the states of the authority to regulate their own affairs (Freedmen Bureau). He also argued that blacks did not deserve rights of citizenship (Civil Rights Bill).

What was the ultimate decision?

IMPEACH JOHNSON

Explain the effects of the war on the South.

It demoralized the southerners since many had died or gave up their savings just to lose a war. It also destroyed a large amount of property which they had to rebuild.

How did this impact the lives of Black Americans?

It showed to them how they have not yet gained freedom yet. And because there was no land distribution, the majority of rural freedmen remained poor without property

Explain how the Reconstruction Amendments changed the function of the Constitution.

It transformed the constitution from a document primarily concerned with property to a source in which minorities could stake a claim to freedom and seek protection against misconduct by all levels of the gov.

Describe the role of church within the Black community.

It was a place where the blacks could escape from whites supervision. The church served as a place for social events, political meetings, mass, and school. It brought many blacks together.

Explain the purpose of education for the Black community.

It was so blacks could move into the economic marketplace or work in political fields.

Describe sharecropping.

Labor system that evolved during and after Reconstruction whereby landowners furnished laborers with a house, farm animals, and tools and advanced credit in exchange for a share of the laborers' crop.

Who were the carpetbaggers?

Northerners who moved south (after the civil war) looking for easy money and jobs

Explain the Northern commitment to Reconstruction as time progressed.

Politicians thought they were less committed to the ideal of equal rights for blacks. However, the North believes that the South should be able to solve its own problems without constant interference from the federal government.

Who were the Redeemers and why did they give themselves this name?

Redeemers were the democrats that claim to have "redeemed" the white South from corruption, misgovernment, and northern and black control

What was a major weakness of the Bureau?

The Bureau had very few agents in the south (low in population). They also failed to distribute land (a major thing in the south)

What was the reality of land for Black Americans?

The blacks ended up getting no land since Andrew Johnson ordered nearly all land in federal hands returned to its' former owners

What did the Slaughterhouse Cases state and how did this impact Black Americans?

The case presents white butchers excluded from a state sponsored monopoly, claiming that their right to equality before the law guaranteed by the 14th amendment had been violated.

Describe other factors that led to a loss of Northern support for Reconstruction.

The country suffered from an economic depression. Because of this, many northerners had no energy to devote attention to the South.

Explain the major conflict at the root of Reconstruction.

The major conflict was over the meaning of freedom. People had to figure out whether freedom implied civil rights to blacks. It opened up a lot of interpretations and contradictory of freedom.

What was the impact of the Bargain of 1877 on Black Americans.

The triumphant southern democrats failed to live up to their pledge to recognize blacks as equal citizens.

What do these documents suggest about competing definitions of Black freedom in the aftermath of slavery?

These documents suggest that the competing definitions could be questionable because of how the northerners feel towards the black freedom and how the blacks only got freedom and nothing else.

Explain why Northern politicians condemned Johnson's Reconstruction plan.

They believe that he is doing nothing to resolve the slavery issue in the south since they are not accepting the reality of emancipation. Congress wanted Johnson impeached because he refused to cooperate or compromise over black rights and the reconstruction of Southern state governments.

How did Southern planters define freedom.

They believed that freedom was hierarchy and mastery

To what extent was the former slave definition of freedom the same as the white definition.

They both believed that true freedom comes from owning land since you had full independence in a land you owned.

What (false) argument against Reconstruction did the South present?

They claim that corrupt politicians had come to power in the North by manipulating the votes of immigrants and workingmen, while men of talent and education like themselves had been pushed aside.

What did Northerners desire the New South (post Civil War south) to look like?

They desired the South to become more free and expect slaves to be more productive now that they're freed. Northerners envisioned independent farmers, schools, and more towns

What do the Northerners do to the Southerners elected to Congress?

They did not want to accept the new elected southerners

What success did the Bureau have?

They were able to established schools and provided medical care for both blacks and whites

Describe the various things the Freedmen's Bureau was supposed to provide

They were supposed to established schools, provide aid to the poor, settle disputes between blacks and whites

Describe life for small white farmers after the war.

They're either dirt poor or in debt since their land was destroyed during the civil war. Because of this, many found themselves in sharecropping or crop lien.

Describe the political situation for Southern Black by 1875.

Violence happened in broad daylight and the Grant administration showed no desire to intervene this time. Armed democrats destroyed ballot boxes and drove former slaves from the polls.

Who were the scalawags?

White southerners who favored the North (Republicans).

Explain the unique situation in Wyoming.

Wyoming entered the Union and became the first state since NJ to allow women to vote

What were the only things the Confederate states were required to do under Johnson's Presidential Reconstruction?

abolish slavery, repudiate secession, call state conventions (elected by whites alone)

Why do the Black petitioners believe that owning land is essential to the enjoyment of freedom?

because they were oppressed for all their lives they were not able to own land. Also, they considered that not just white people should have land, because that could interrupt the progression or advancement of the course of their freedom. They think that how can they be free if they are not allowed to have their own home, in the place that they work and have spent their lives?

Describe the terms of the 14th Amendment.

granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War

Describe the many specific reasons Andrew Johnson was unsuited to lead the country through Reconstruction.

he can't tolerate criticism well, he lacked political skills, he's racist (which doesn't really help after the union just abolished slavery)

Describe what Johnson's pardons gave the former Confederate states.

his pardon offered restoration of political and property rights (except slaves) to nearly all white southerners who took an oath of loyalty to the union

Describe Congress's response to Johnson and how this achieved.

huh?

Explain why politically it was crucial to the North to ensure Blacks in the south voted.

if a state denied the vote to any group of men, that state's representation in congress would be reduced

Explain the limitations of the 15th Amendment.

it did not grant suffrage to all men, but only prohibited discrimination on the basis of race and former slave status. States could require voters to pass literacy tests or pay poll taxes -- difficult tasks for the formerly enslaved, who had little education or money.

Describe the terms of the Reconstruction Act.

it divided the south into 5 military districts and called for the creation of new state gov. with black men given the right to vote. To be eligible for readmittance to the Union, each Confederate state was required to pass the 13th and 14th Amendments and hold new elections

Describe the limitations of naturalization.

it limited to whites the right to become a naturalized citizens (no blacks)

What were the Black Codes?

laws passed by Southern states to restrict the freedom of blacks

Describe the terms of the 15th Amendment.

prohibited the federal and state governments from denying any citizen the right to vote because of race

Describe the terms of the Civil Rights Bill of 1866.

states that all people born in the US as citizens has all rights without regard to race

What was the Tenure of Office Act and why did Johnson argue it was unconstitutional?

the Act restricted the president from removing certain office holders like cabinet members without the consent of the senate. Johnson thought it was unconstitutional because it restricted his authority

What was the plan for land for Black Americans that the Freedmen's Bureau was meant to establish?

the Bureau meant to divide abandoned and confiscated land into forty-acres plots for rental and eventual sale to the former slaves.

How did depictions of Black Americans change by the 1870s and how does this contribute to the failure of Reconstruction.

the depiction changed from honorable soldiers of the civil war to something more little to an animal. This spread in newspaper which damaged their reputation and easily persuade others to believe in these caricatures of racism (in the newspapers)

Describe the governments in the former Confederate states by 1870.

they all readmitted into the union in 1870 and nearly all were under control of republicans

Describe three successes of Republican governments in the South.

they built public schools in the south for both blacks and whites, they made it illegal for railroads, hotels, and other institutions to discriminate on the basis of race, took steps to strengthen the position of rural laborers and promote the south's economic recovery.

Describe the Bargain of 1877.

was an informal, unwritten deal, that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election. Hayes's representatives agreed to recognize Democratic control of the entire South and to avoid further intervention in local affairs. In return, Democrats promised not to dispute Hayes's right to office and to respect the civil and political rights of blacks. It resulted in the United States federal government pulling the last troops out of the South, and formally ended the Reconstruction Era.