Reconstruction

Question 1

What is Reconstruction?

Answer 1

1865-77
The time period after the American Civil War when the country attempts to reunite.

This era focused on rebuilding the South and integrating formerly enslaved individuals into society.

Question 2

What are the three political positions during Reconstruction?

Answer 2

• Radicals
• Conservatives
• Moderates

Question 3

Who was the first president from the Republican Party?

Answer 3

Abraham Lincoln

The Republican Party was primarily supported by the North.

Question 4

What is the view of Carpetbaggers in the South?

Answer 4

They were viewed as political plunderers, but most were Northerners supporting Radicals.

Named for the bags they carried, Southern Whites felt they protected Blacks.

Question 5

Who were Scalawags?

Answer 5

Native-born Southern Whites who supported Republicans.

They were often seen as traitors by other Southern Whites.

Question 6

What was the popular view of Black Office Holders during Reconstruction?

Answer 6

They were seen as illiterate and inexperienced.

In reality, they were diverse, including preachers, teachers, and former soldiers.

Question 7

What did Black radicals want during Reconstruction?

Answer 7

• The right to vote
• Education
• Equal treatment under the law
• Access to the same enterprises as Whites

Question 8

What was the state of public education for Blacks during Reconstruction?

Answer 8

Blacks achieved state-supported public education, but it was not integrated.

Financial issues in the South limited educational resources.

Question 9

What economic issue did the South face during Reconstruction?

Answer 9

A lack of money to support social welfare and taxation.

This was exacerbated by the loss of wealth after the abolition of slavery.

Question 10

What was the impact of the abolition of slavery on former slaveowners?

Answer 10

They lost their ‘property’ and wealth, affecting their economic power.

The Southern economy remained largely agricultural, necessitating labor.

Question 11

Was corruption in Reconstruction-era Southern governments unique?

Answer 11

No, they had similar levels of corruption as Northern governments.

Question 12

What was the attitude of Southern Whites towards Reconstruction?

Answer 12

Most were opposed and did not support it.

They disliked increased taxes and the prospect of being ruled by Yankees or Blacks.

Question 13

What violence emerged in the South during Reconstruction?

Answer 13

Violence was used to control social situations previously managed by slavery.

Question 14

What was necessary for the survival of Radical Reconstruction?

Answer 14

Federal support, including troops in the South.

Question 15

What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?

Answer 15

It abolished slavery in territories not under Union control, shifting the war focus to slavery.

Question 16

What was Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction?

Answer 16

Southern states could be readmitted to the Union once 10% of citizens took a loyalty oath.

Question 17

What did the Wade-Davis Bill propose?

Answer 17

1864: A 50% loyalty oath for Southern states.

This was a more radical approach than Lincoln’s plan.

Question 18

What was the outcome of Lincoln’s assassination?

Answer 18

Vice President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, succeeded him.

Question 19

What did the 13th Amendment accomplish?

Answer 19

It officially abolished slavery in the United States.

Question 20

What was the purpose of the Freeman’s Bureau?

Answer 20

To provide protection, food, clothing, and education for freedmen.

Question 21

What were Black Codes?

Answer 21

Laws enacted by Southern states to restrict the civil rights of Blacks.

Question 22

What happened in the 1866 Congressional elections?

Answer 22

Republicans gained control with a 2/3 majority, allowing them to override President Johnson’s lenient policies towards the former confederate states, giving radical republicans a veto-proof majority in congress.
This landslide victory effectively ended presidential reconstruction, and paved the way for congress to take control of the reconstruction process

Johnson offered pardons to many former confederates and the new southern governments by enacting “black codes” to control the labor and mobility of freed African Americans

Question 23

What did the Radical Reconstruction plan include?

Answer 23

• Federal military occupation of the South
• Ratification of the 14th Amendment
• A new Civil Rights Bill

Question 24

What happened to President Johnson during Radical Reconstruction?

Answer 24

He was impeached but escaped conviction by one vote.

Question 25

What was the impact of the Hayes-Tilden Compromise?

Answer 25

1877: It led to the removal of federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction. Southern democrats agreed to accept Hayes as president on the condition that republicans would withdraw all remaining federal troops from the south.

Question 26

What was the Ku Klux Klan's role during Reconstruction?

Answer 26

They initiated a reign of terror to undermine Black progress.

Question 27

What characterized the era of 'redemption' after Reconstruction?

Answer 27

The return of White rule in the South.