13th amendment Flashcards
reasons for the 13th amendments introduction
- ending slavery was a moral issue for many Americans
- black soldiers played a key role in the unions army defeat of the confederacy
- many black soldiers escaped from their masters so restoring slavery was practically impossible
- Republican Party believed that slavery was a key cause of civil war, so continuing slavery would lead to more problems
- Lincoln believed that a constitutional amendment was the proper way to end slavery’s existence
when did the confederate army surrender
9th April 1865
when was Lincoln assassinated
14th April 1865
what was the significance of Johnson
- unsuccessful presidential reconstruction
- firm believer of ‘state rights’
- content to see the re-establishment of southern white confederate elite + white supremacy
- unsuccessful opposition to radical reconstruction
what were the main two issues that congress and Johnson clashed between
- continuation of freedmen’s bureau
- passage of 1866 civil rights bill
why was there political uncertainty after the civil war
- collapse of confederacy stalled most political processes in south
- state and local government had to be organised
- bitter quarrels among the leaders of the dominant Republican Party concerning the proper basis for political reconstruction
why was there economic chaos after the civil war
- bridges and railroads destroyed
- because plantation owners lost their former slaves and couldn’t replace them with agricultural equipment, business was at a standstill
- confederacy farm houses, barns, and mills had been burned
- towns looted and inhabitants were driven out
why was there social confusion after the civil war
- war destroyed whole structure of southern society
- changing status of blacks caused serious social tensions
- aristocratic planters yielded to the growing influence of bankers, merchants and small farmers
what were Johnsons believes
- black Americans weren’t equal to white Americans and so they shouldn’t vote
- conciliatory policies towards the south were the best way to ensure his re-election in 1866
- loyalty of the southern white needed to be restored as the south was to be part of the union again
- federal intervention in the political, economic and social systems of individual states was against state rights
how would southern states be readmitted into the union under Johnsons reconstruction
any southern states that accepted the end of slavery and rejected the confederacy would be readmitted into the union
what was reconstruction
the introduction and management of south being reincorporated into the union
why were radical republicans disappointed with Johnsons reconstruction plans
Johnson moved to conciliate the traditional southern elite
why, when and by who was the freedmen’s bureau introduced
- introduced by congress in 1865
- to help former black slaves and the poor white in the south
what did the freedmen’s bureau provide
provided housing, medical aid, food and legal assistance
how did the freedmen’s bureau create tensions
attempted to settle former slaves on confederate lands which were confiscated or abandoned during the civil war
why was the freedmen’s bureau prevented from carrying out its programmes
due to a shortage of funds and personnel
why did congress shut the bureau
it was under the pressure of southern whites
what did the many former slaves who learned how to read and write in army schools do in summer 1865
organised mass meetings and petitions for civil equality
what was the consequence of organised mass meetings and petitions for civil equality by black people in 1865
black demands and white resentment led to wide spread violence in south
what was the consequence of ex-slaves attempting to leave plantations and set up their own farms
- tensions rose
- black people were assaulted and killed
how was the economy transformed in the south after the civil war
pre-war southern economy depended heavily on labour but now plantation owners would have to pay workers
why did most slaves have no chance but to remain trapped in slavery
- they lacked money or land
- 90% were illiterate
why did many former slaves work as tenant farmers (sharecroppers) to the southern elite
many plantation owners and the freedmen’s bureau encouraged former slaves to return to plantations
what did the republican congressmen believe
- they were moderates
- believed that the basic rights of former slaves should be protected
- didn’t want major social change in the south
- believed that confederate leaders should be barred from holding office
