gains made by black Americans during reconstruction

Question 1

command of the army act 1867

Answer 1

reduced President Johnsons military powers as he now had to issue military orders through the general of the army (Ulysses S. Grant who was a keen supporter of the republicans)

Question 1

what impact did the command of the army act 1867 have

Answer 1

limited Johnsons powers as it prevented him from taking actions against black advancement

Question 2

Tenure of office act 1867

Answer 2

required the consent of the US senate for the president to remove an officeholder whose appointment had been originally confirmed by the senate

Question 3

enforcement acts 1870-1871

Answer 3

these were introduced to end such violence and to influence the president to use military force to protect African Americans

Question 4

How was imposing the martial rule in South Carolina significant?

Answer 4

• set an example to other states
• brought a measure of peace
• removed the KKK
• helped Grant win another term

Question 5

Military reconstruction acts 1867-8

Answer 5

10 Southern states were split into 5 military districts and deemed not to have legal state governments

Question 6

what did the states have to do to have legal state governments and send representation to congress?

Answer 6

• draw up a new constitution that allowed black men to vote
• ratify the 14th amendment
• expel ex-confederate leaders from office

Question 7

what is the 14th amendment

Answer 7

grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalised in the US

Question 8

what is the 15th amendment

Answer 8

granted African Americans the right to vote

Question 9

significance of the 14th and 15th amendment

Answer 9

• 700,000 black men were registered to vote in the south
• 1000 black men were elected to local posts that came with influence and power

Question 10

Freedmen’s bureau bill and the freedmen’s renewal act July 1866

Answer 10

designed to extend the bureaus life and extend its legal powers

Question 11

how did the freedmen bureau affect education

Answer 11

• spent 1/3 of its budget on schools, enrolling 100,000 students
• literacy rates amongst black people increased by 20%
• established black colleges

Question 12

what was the role of the freedmens bureau

Answer 12

• rented and repaired schools and hospitals
• furnished basic food, clothing and shelter until recipients could care for themselves
• seeked to enforce civil rights
• reunited families separated by slaverly

Question 13

how did black churches help?

Answer 13

• religion was vital for many African Americans
• black churches spread rapidly as it was a meeting space for AA
• a moral code was derived from Jesus’s teachings
• church courts soon developed to punish anyone who didn’t abide by these teachings

Question 14

give examples of politically engaged black church ministers and what they did

Answer 14

Henry McNeal Turner and Tunis Campbell - supported black access to schools
John Roy Lynch - played a key role in the establishment of a public school system in his state with 230 schools for black children being opened within a year

Question 15

give examples of self-help groups in urban areas

Answer 15

• sickness and funeral savings clubs
• drama clubs and debating societies (contributed towards political engagement)
• black tradesmen
• rural areas set up schools in peoples homes

Question 16

What was the American missionary association (AMA)

Answer 16

northern organisation who monitored living conditions in other countries

Question 17

How did the AMA contribute towards education

Answer 17

• gave $4mil to schools
• AMA 400 teachers were educating 40,000 black students
• AMA co-founded Fisk University

Question 18

why were the military reconstruction acts introduced

Answer 18

to establish an organised way to enforce the laws of the United States while also ensuring that when Southern states were readmitted to the union, they were aligned with the countries values