Humanities Civil War/Reconstruction Study Guide

Question 0

Palmito Ranch

Answer 0

last battle of the Civil War; Confederates won but didn’t matter because the war was already over June 12, 1865

Question 1

Jefferson Davis

Answer 1

President of the Confederacy during the Civil War

Question 2

Juneteenth

Answer 2

June 19 1865; the day the slaves were freed in Texas (1865); state holiday

Question 3

Richard Dowling and the Davis Guards

Answer 3

defeated the Union at Sabine Pass (Texas battle)

Question 4

martial law

Answer 4

military is called in by the government, usually during an emergency, to maintain law and order

Question 5

Albert Sidney Johnston

Answer 5

second-highest- ranking general in the Confederate army; killed at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee

Question 6

Ulysses S. Grant

Answer 6

General in command of the Union army; later elected as the 18th President of the U.S.

Question 7

Abraham Lincoln

Answer 7

16th President of the U.S.; President of the U.S. during the Civil War; assassinated by John W. Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. five days after Lee’s surrender to Grant April 14, 1865; had a moderate plan for Reconstruction.

Question 8

Robert E. Lee

Answer 8

from Virginia; Confederate General who surrendered his army to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia

Question 9

Fort Sumter

Answer 9

located in Charleston, South Carolina; Confederate troops fired on Union troops stationed at the fort; the beginning of the Civil War (April 12, 1861)

Question 10

Hood’s Brigade

Answer 10

Texas unit that fought many great battles in Virginia; led by John Bell Hood; General Lee called them his “finest soldiers” (Known for the bravery and courage)

Question 11

Terry’s Texas Rangers

Answer 11

(8th Texas Cavalry Regiment) Texas cavalry regiment that fought in more battles than any other cavalry regiment in the Civil War. (Known for the bravery and courage)

Question 12

Ku Klux Klan

Answer 12

during Reconstruction, this group used violence and threats to keep the African Americans from voting; whipped and hanged African Americans who tried to exercise their rights to equality

Question 13

freedmen and Freedmen’s Bureau

Answer 13

freedmen were former slaves; Freedmen’s Bureau was a government organization set up to help former slaves (freedmen) find jobs, issued them food and clothing, and set up the first public schools in Texas for African American children

Question 14

black codes

Answer 14

laws passed in the South after the Civil War to deprive African Americans of their civil liberties

Question 15

conscription

Answer 15

forced enrollment into the military service

Question 16

The Conscription Act

Answer 16

required all men between the ages of 17 and 50 to serve in the armed forces of the Confederacy

Question 17

abolitionists

Answer 17

a person who works to end slavery

Question 18

Andrew Johnson

Answer 18

became president after Lincoln was assassinated; carried out Lincoln’s moderate plan for Reconstruction; was impeached by the Radical Republicans in Congress. He missed being convicted of the charges brought against him by one vote in the Senate.

Question 19

States’ Rights

Answer 19

the Southern belief that each state had the right to determine whether or not to follow federal laws

Question 20

Reconstruction

Answer 20

the effort to reorganize (and rebuild) the seceded states and bring them back into the Union

Question 21

Andrew J. Hamilton

Answer 21

Provisional governor of TX appointed by President Johnson; had great sympathy for the people of TX, even though he was a Unionist during the war. He wanted to help TX return peacefully to the Union ASAP.

Question 22

The Ironclad Clan

Answer 22

Under the Congressional Plan for Reconstruction, many voters had to make the promise that they had not voluntarily served in the Confederate army or given aid to the Confederacy IF they wanted to vote. This oath kept thousands of Southerners from voting, which in turn, allowed the Radical Republicans to remain in power.

Question 23

Edmund J. Davis

Answer 23

a Radical Republican that narrowly defeated Andrew J. Hamilton in the 1869 election for Texas governor. Since Texans were mostly Democrats, most Texans disliked Governor Davis and didn’t feel Reconstruction in TX had ended until a Democrat was able to defeat Davis.

Question 24

Richard Coke

Answer 24

Democratic candidate for governor in 1873; ran against Davis and won, although Democrats used violence and threats to keep African Americans from voting for Davis. With a Democrat finally the Texas governor, the period of Republican control of TX was over, & Reconstruction ended in TX.

Question 25

General Gordon Granger

Answer 25

sent to Texas by President Johnson to read a proclamation that all enslaved Texans were FREE. The day it was read, June 19, 1865, Texas slaves finally celebrated their freedom. That day is still celebrated today by African Americans in our state and is called Juneteenth.

Question 26

What was the Emancipation Proclamation, when was it issued, and who issued it?

Answer 26

It was a proclamation (not a law) issued by Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863 freeing “all slaves in areas still in rebellion.” (the Confederate states)

Question 27

Why was the location of Texas important during the Civil War?

Answer 27

Texas had access to trade with Mexico by land and the Gulf of Mexico for Confederate supplies and money by using blockade runners. (p. 350)

Question 28

What were blockade runners and what was their significance?

Answer 28

Blockade runners were ships that slipped through the Union ships that blocked the port of Galveston in order to bring much-needed supplies to the Confederacy.

Question 29

Explain the Union’s strategy during the Civil War?

Answer 29

1. Divide the Confederacy in two by taking control of the Mississippi River;
2. capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA, and
3. blockading the Confederate ports, thus cutting off Southern transportation & trade
   This was referred to as the Anaconda Plan, written by General Winfield Scott and was first not used by Lincoln; however it was used later in the war.

Question 30

How could a Southerner who was drafted get out of serving in the war?

Answer 30

Some people were exempt (excused) from serving or they could hire a substitute.

Question 31

Name at least three advantages of the South during the war.

Answer 31

1. had the best leaders; 2. more experienced with horses; 3. better fighters-“country boys;” 4. most of the fighting took place in the south on familiar territory

Question 32

Name at least three advantages of the North during the war.

Answer 32

1. had more people; 2. better transportation (more railroads); 3. more factories to produce war goods; 4. better equipment (clothing, guns, ammunition, & food); 5. more money

Question 33

Name the 5 battles in Texas & which side won each of them.

Answer 33

1. Galveston Island –Confederate victory; May 12, 18652. Sabine Pass-Confederate victory; September 8, 1863 3. Brownsville-Confederacy victory; November 2, 18634. Palmito Ranch- Confederate victory; May 12, 1865 5. Red River-Confederate victory. March 12, 1864

Question 34

Name 5 causes of the Civil War.

Answer 34

1. Sectionalism
2. States’ Rights
3. Slavery
4. The Election of 1860
5. Secession

Question 35

Put the following events in the correct order of their occurrence:

Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States.
The Battle at Palmito Ranch
The Beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina
The southern states begin seceding.

Answer 35

Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States. (2)
The Battle at Palmito Ranch (4)
The Beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina (1)
The southern states begin seceding. (3)

Question 36

What were the main land areas where the Civil War was fought? There are 3 of them.

Answer 36

1. Virginia (between Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia)
2. Tennessee
3. land east of the Mississippi River

Question 37

What initially caused the South to begin secession?

Answer 37

the Election of 1860 when a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, became the president

Question 38

Name the 11 Confederate states in the order that they seceded.

Answer 38

South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina

Question 39

The Civil War took place during what years?

Answer 39

1861-1865

Question 40

Explain the significance of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.

Answer 40

13th – abolished slavery in all states (FREE)
14th – allowed citizenship to African Americans (CITIZENS)
15th – allowed African American males to vote (VOTE)

Question 41

Define: states’ rights

Answer 41

the Southern belief that each state had the right to determine whether or not to follow federal laws

Question 42

When is Juneteenth and what is its significance?

Answer 42

June 19th (1865); it was the day that the slaves were freed in Texas

Question 43

What was the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction?
Who came up with it first?
Who used the first plan to model their plan? What were the conditions under the Presidential Plan for states to be readmitted to the Union? Name ALL of them!

Answer 43

It was a moderate (middle of the road) plan “with malice toward none, with charity for all.”
President Lincoln BEFORE he was assassinated
President Andrew Johnson
1. Each Southern state had to prohibit slavery.
2. Each Southern state had to nullify (cancel) its ordinance of secession (which claimed that each state had the right to secede or withdraw from the union)
(To regain the right to vote, each Southern citizen had to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. In addition, leaders of the Confederacy and people who had at least $20,000 in cash or property would have to get a special pardon from the president.) Once the citizens of each Southern state met these requirements, the state could write a new constitution and elect their own representatives.

Question 44

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Answer 44

a Republican who believed that Congress should direct Reconstruction

Question 45

What were 2 goals of the Radical Republicans during Congressional Reconstruction?

Answer 45

Their main goals were to set stricter standards than the Presidential Plan for admitting the Southern states back into the Union AND protect the rights and freedom of the African Americans in the South.

Question 46

Why did Texans dislike Governor Davis so much? There are several reasons to list.
What did Governor Davis and the Republicans do that was important for our state?

Answer 46

1. He was a Radical Republican, and he was an active and powerful governor who provoked controversy.
2. He used the state police to threaten those who opposed him; he also used Tejanos and African Americans as state policemen which made some white Texans mad.
3. He used his political power with the Republicans in the legislature to restrict the activities of their political opponents.
4. The legislature allowed Davis to use military forces in the event of civil disturbances.
5. The legislature postponed elections to give the officers who were elected in 1869 another year in office.
6. He increased money spent for law enforcement and education which meant higher taxes; the state taxes increased from 15 cents on every $100 worth of property in 1865 to $2 on each $100 worth of property in 1872. Even with the tax increase, the state debt continued to grow.
7. improved roads
8. built forts
9. passed a new Homestead Act
10. set up free public schools (Attendance was compulsory, or required, and the tax system provided enough money to maintain the schools.)

Question 47

How was Richard Coke, the democratic candidate for the Texas governor, able to defeat the Republican incumbent, Governor Davis in the gubernatorial race for the office of governor in 1873?

Answer 47

Many more African Americans would have voted for Governor Davis except Democrats used threats and violence to keep African Americans from voting.

Question 48

How did the Texas Supreme Court members (who had been appointed by Governor Davis) rule on the election of Coke and why?

Answer 48

They ruled that the election was unconstitutional (which was in favor of the Republicans), because of the Democrats keeping the African Americans away from voting with their threats and violence.

Question 49

What happened at the capitol building when Governor Davis refused to leave?

Who did he request help from and what was the response?

Answer 49

Democratic supporters occupied the halls of the legislature on the 2nd floor of the capitol. Soldiers brought in to protect Davis switched sides and joined Coke’s supporters. Finally, on Jan. 15, 1874, Coke was sworn in as governor, but militia groups armed themselves to defend each position. The potential for violence at the capitol was very real.

After Davis asked for U.S. support to keep him in office, President Grant sent a telegram telling Davis that he would not send troops to Austin.

Once Davis finally left office on January 17, 1874, the period of Republican control of Texas was over! Reconstruction in Texas had come to an end!