History focus questions
E76. How and why were president Andrew Johnson and the followers of Thaddeus Stevens so opposed to each other's policies?
Stevens was a Radical Republican, and he wanted the people of the South to be punished for their actions, and Andrew Johnson was a pseudo-Democrat and thought what the Southerners did was ok Didn't want the other parties reconstruction plan Thaddeus Stevens followers wanted everyone that fought for the south to be punished, and Johnson's followers were all southerners.
77. Describe the content as well as both the short-term and long-term effects of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Thirteenth Amendment Abolished slavery in the United States forever Former slaves could now own land and be free Long term: Former slaves were being granted more civil rights Fourteenth Amendment Civil Rights Act that outlawed black codes Ratified by states in 1868 and US citizens could now not be deprived of life, liberty or property This Amendment gave civil rights to African Americans citizens which is something they did not have before Made sure that no citizens could turn around and abridge the rights for citizens votes. National government was the glue that held them together Northerners believed: National/federal government was at the top and the states all fell under it Fifteenth Amendment African Americans gained the right to vote and couldn't be denied them Long term: Black people and former slaves are now being considered people and not objects Long term: They now had the same rights as white people African American finally gained the right they've been demanding for so long All these Amendments were made to have the South accept the fact the black people were people and they must have civil rights.
74. How did the Lincoln assassination change the dynamic at the end of the war?
We had to stop his reconstruction plan because no one was pushing for it Political power shifted to Andrew Johnson It united the North because the person who led them through the war successfully was gone Lincoln's message and goals of uniting the nation made others realize that he had a great impact on creating the US the way it is today He had democratic principles that everyone is created equal that are still in place today Northerners/moderate Republicans kept Lincoln's ideas alive
S79. Describe and explain the importance of "The Lost Cause".
Interpretation of the American Civil War (1861-1865) from the perspective of the Confederates in the best possible terms This was developed by white Southerners many who were former Confederate generals The Lost Cause helped Southerners to cope with the social, political, and economic changes after the Civil War especially in the oppressive Reconstruction era. In a postwar climate of racial inequality, social, economic, physical,and political change it created and romanticized the "Old South" and the Confederate war effort It has said to be distorting history and for this reason is a myth It describes the Confederate cause as a heroic one against great odds despite its defeat "The Civil War was an honorable struggle for the Southern way of life" Denied the role of slavery Its importance is that it showed the many viewpoints of the Civil War that not everyone viewed the Civil War as one way It also gave southerners hope after the Civil War and during the Reconstruction era Lastly showed that there was still a lot of work to be done after the Civil War to change the southerners points of view of the Civil War The term Lost Cause first appeared in the title of an 1866 book by the historian Edward A. Pollard, The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates It was the articles written for the Southern Historical Society by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early in the 1870s that established the Lost Cause as a long-lasting phenomenon. aspects of this did win acceptance in the South there and helped the process of reunifying American whites
E78. How effective was the Freedmen's Bureau in accomplishing its goals in the South?
It was effective in some areas, but was an overall failure The freedman's bureau established schools for freed slaves The kkk killed them and scared them into not being extremely effective Provided essentials for people who could not afford them, like meals, water, temporary shelter, help to find lost relatives, provided schooling, helped solve disputes between Freedmen and past Slave owners Was a short lived group that had good intentions and helped an amount of people
S80. Describe the reasons for—and the effects of—the Johnson impeachment
Johnson was impeached because in 1868 he tried to fire Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, a Lincoln appointee. Johnson tried to fire Edwin Stanton because Johnson didn't want him having presiding power over the south during the Reconstruction Era. This directly challenged Tenure of Office Act just passed by Congress in 1867. The act placed limits on the President's power to hire and fire government officials Under the Constitution, the President must seek Senate approval for candidates to fill certain jobs, such as Cabinet posts. In the Tenant of Office Act Senate must approve the firing of those officials as well, thereby limiting the President's power to create an administration to his own liking. Led by Thaddeus Stevens the House found that Johnson's firing of Stanton was unconstitutional. On february 24, 1868, House members voted to impeach him, As called for by the Constitution, in May 1868 the Senate tried President Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors." If ⅔ of the senators were to vote for conviction, Johnson would become the first and only President ever removed from office The vote took place on May 16, 1868. Johnson had escaped this fate by one vote. The effect of this is that it set the precedent that only the most serious crimes, and not merely a dispute with Congress could remove a President from office Led by fiery stevens, house found that pres firing stanton was unconst, feb 24, 1868, house members vote impeach him, charge him with wrongdoing in office, pres was first pres to impeach As called for by the const, may 1868 senate tried pres andrew johnson, for high crimes, if ⅔ of senators were to vote for conviction, he would be 1st and only pres ever removed from office Historic vote was may 16, 1868, when all ayes and nays were counted, johnson had escaped by closest of margins, 1 vote, the crisis set the precedent that only most serious crimes and not merely a dispute with congress, could remove a pres from office he served remaining months of his term, but with no mandate and no real power, rejected by party that had never really embraced him, johnson went back to tennessee and regained his senate seat, as a democrat
81. What was the Compromise of 1877 and what were its effects?
The Compromise of 1877 was a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election. It resulted in the United States federal government pulling the last troops out of the South, and formally ended the Reconstruction Era. As a result of the so-called Compromise of 1877 (or Compromise of 1876), Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina became Democratic once again, effectively marking the end of the Reconstruction era. The Compromise of 1876 effectively ended the Reconstruction era. Southern Democrats' promises to protect civil and political rights of blacks were not kept, and the end of federal interference in southern affairs led to widespread disenfranchisement of blacks voters. It was between Hayes and Tilden
82. How successful were the following groups in achieving their post-war goals: Northern Whites, Southern Whites, Freedmen.
The bureau's achievements varied from one location to another and from one agent to the next. Over its course of existence, the bureau was underfunded and understaffed, with just 900 agents at its peak. The Freedmen had both failures and successes Northern whites ultimately failed to protect former slaves from white persecution and failed to engender fundamental changes to the social fabric of the South. Southern whites had the sharecropping system which was essentially a legal form of slavery that kept blacks tied to land owned by rich white farmers, sharecropping became widespread in the South. With little economic power, blacks ended up having to fight for civil rights on their own, as northern whites lost interest.
