History: Reconstruction Flashcards
- Compare/Contrast Lincoln’s Johnson’s and RR reconstruction plan especially in terms of how harsh the plans were, requirements for readmission and how supportive it was for former ex slaves
Lincoln → bring south back to union. 10 percent oath - democrats have to pledge to being in the union in order to
Johnson → was racist, wanted south legislature to adopt black codes to restrict rights of blacks, went against elites
Radical Republicans → did not agree with lincoln, did not appreciate johnson segregating the south again, did not want to forgive south, wanted congress to lead construction
- Define and explain what rights are given in the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments
13th amendment - Slavery shouldn’t exist unless you have committed a crime. Congress can make the decision for this
14th amendment - citizenship for all and due process - states have to follow bill of rights
15th amendment - All men can vote
- Reasons for the conflict between President Johnson and the Radical Republicans and the key differences between Presidential Reconstruction (1865-67) and Congressional Reconstruction (1867-1877)
Radical republicans disliked johnson because he was a democrat, racist, and vetoed freedmen’s bureau and civil rights act. Johnson was helping the south when republicans wanted him to insult the south. Radical republicans supported Congress wanting johnson gone so they could handle reconstruction
Presidential reconstruction: transition from slavery to freedom
Congressional Reconstruction: bring southern states back into political participation
- Both the technical reason and the underlying reason for Johnson’s impeachment and his escaping conviction.
congress passes tenure of office act: president can fire cabinet members only if senate approves. Johnson fires Stanton without approval of senate, which results in congress impeaching him. Johnson retains office.
- What was the Freedman’s Bureau and it what ways was it successful and it what way had it fallen short in helping former slaves?
freedmen’s bureau was a welfare agency that provided food, shelter, and medical assistance to both black and whites who were homeless. It was successful in education and established many schools for blacks, but the drawbacks were that blacks wanted land of their own, but most blacks remained in farm work or unskilled labor
- What was meant by the Solid South and why did the south develop this way politically?
One time the south voted for democratic presidential candidates so it was referred to as the solid south. To maintain solid south, they kept african americans from voting because they were strong republicans
- Who was Ulysses Grant and what factor reduced the effectiveness of his administration?
he was the union general and what reduced the effectiveness of his administration was that people under his administration were corrupt, but Grant was not corrupt
- What tactics, legally and illegally, did white southerners use to reduce the social, economic and political power and influence of African-Americans?
Illegal: The whites used a group called the ku klux klan which socially intimidated and killed many african americans.
Legal: Southern confederate states politically reduced the influence of blacks by not giving black men the right to vote. Black codes by Johnson restricted rights of blacks and economically reduced influence of blacks by fining them if they refused to sign plantation contracts or made them do labor work if they didn’t have the money.
- What was sharecropping and what impact did it have on former slaves?
sharecropping was a share of harvest from landlords in which sharecroppers are given land and supplies from the landlords and they have to plant the crops and sell them to pay their own debts and survive. The impact it had on slaves was that they had to plant and sell crops without owning the land and pay debt and if they didn’t sell enough it would be tough for them. Not many blacks owned their own land
- What agreement brought reconstruction efforts to an end by 1877? Explain.
The compromise of 1877(Tayden vs Hayes) awarded 20 electoral votes to Hayes. In return for the democrats’ consent to Hayes’s election, the republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the south, and end reconstruction. –> jim crow laws.
- After Reconstruction why did the South use poll taxes and literacy tests?
The south used them because they wanted to exclude blacks who were poor with minimal literacy
- Who was Hiram Revels?
He became the first black member of congress (senator of mississippi) in 1870
- Plessy v. Ferguson – decision
court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the US constitution
Black codes
Black codes by Johnson restricted rights of blacks and economically reduced influence of blacks by fining them if they refused to sign plantation contracts or made them do labor work if they didn’t have the money. If blacks broke the black codes, they would have to pay fines, and if they couldn’t pay fines, they were arrested, which led them to a loophole
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
term used to describe white republicans
