Reconstruction Flashcards
What is the main cause of the Civil War
slavery
List the 3 underlying causes of the Civil War
Sectionalism
State rights
Expansion
What is sectionalism?
Regional differences in the Northern states vs Southern States
north= more industrial
south= cotton king
Why did sectionalism help cause the Civil War?
North did not need slavery to survive economically/ was more in favor of ending
How did states’ rights help cause the Civil War?
Southern states wanted to assert their authority over the federal government
abolish federal laws they didn’t support
laws interfering with the South’s right to keep slaves and take them wherever they wished.
How did territorial expansion help cause the Civil War?
South wanted slavery in new western territories,
North was committed to keeping them open to white labor alone.
New states would flip the power of congress voting. Wanted to make sure they would join in on their sides to keep it balanced
What was the spark of the Civil War/ why?
Republican party (Northern) = gaining prominence
members strongly opposed to the westward expansion of slavery into new states
Not dependent on slavery for money
Had members who wanted to abolish slavery
1860: election of a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, as President
without a single Southern electoral vote
clear signal to the Southern states that they had lost all influence.
turned to the only alternative they believed was left to them: secession
“To protect States Rights…”
political decision that led directly to war
Lincolns stance on slavery?
top priority -preserve the Union, not free the slaves
Did not think was in his power
views and arguments changed as war dragged on( what are we fighting for?)
Why did Lincoln issue the emancipation proclamation?
NOT a declaration of citizenship or of equal rights for Blacks
Only works if slaves are recognized as “property” in confederate territories
In power of president to confiscate “supplies” of confederate
Advantages the North had during the war?
More fighting power
More factories/railroad s
Greater food production
Passed the national banking act
Advantages the South had during the war?
King Cotton” and profits
Good generals
Military tradition
Defending homeland
National bank act
During the civil war, the federal government set up a system of regulating banks better. Made banks safe for investors during war= money was flowing= taxes flowing = more money for fighting
13th amendment
ended slavery
Reconstruction
Period of rebuilding the United States post-Civil War.
3 sections needed to be rebuilt during reconstruction?
Government: who would be in charge? What should happen with southern leaders? Southern fighters?
Should the south be let back in?
Society: how should freed slaves be treated?
Can they unify now?
Economy: how is the south going to make money?
How should it be rebuilt?
Radical republicans
Republicans in congress, who wanted “radical” changes at the time, like full civil rights for freedmen.
Thaddeus stevens
Leader of the radical republicans
Wade-davis Bill
Radical republican’s reconstruction plan.
Wants to PUNISH the South for treason
Committed to FULL CIVIL RIGHTS FOR BLACK PEOPLE
When 50% of states population gives loyalty to union allowed back and must give suffrage to freedmen
Ten percent plan
Lincolns plan for reconstruction. Wanted rapid restoration of union
When 10% of the male voting population denounced secession, they were in! No questions asked!
Why did the Radical republicans dislike Lincoln’s plan?
Believed it was too lenient on southerns and did not give rights to freedmen
Why did Lincoln’s reconstruction plan not go into effect?
he was assassinated
Freedmen’s bureau
865 by Congress to help millions of former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the aftermath of the Civil War.
-The Freedmen’s Bureau was to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care, and land.
Problems:Understaffed /Politics /Racism
15th amendment
protected the right to vote for all men regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
14th amendment
made citizens of “all persons born or naturalized in the United States”
Also granted equal protection of the law
No state could deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
black codes
Southern laws enacted to restrict the movement and autonomy [political power] of freed slaves.
Imposed harsh penalties on Blacks for “crimes,” such as homelessness, loitering, associating with white people, or being unemployed
Explain Johnson’s reconstruction policy
Presidential reconstruction - states welcomed back it they:
Swear allegiance to the union
Ratify the 13th amendment( ending slavery)
Wanted to not allow high-ranking officials from getting voting privileges back only
Military Reconstruction Act of 1867- what it was and why it was created.
Divided southern states into 5 military districts controlled by union general
Had to make a new constitution that allowed 14th amendment before being let back into the union.
Why was Johnson almost impeached?
Radical republicans mad at him for not being more aggressive in reconstruction. ( by vetoing bills and stalling reconstruction)
scalawags
Democrats mad at southerners who supported the republican party
carpetbagger
Southers name for northerners who moved south
thought they were exploited souths post-war turmoil to make money or political gains
Hiram revels
First African American senator- elected into congress during reconstruction
sharecropping
Landowners divided their land and gave each worked a few acres of land to work( leased to them)
At harvest, the workers gave a share of their harvest to the landowner( usually half)
Workers would have to rent tools etc from landowners as well.
Usually system caused a cycle of debt that the workers could not get out of, becoming tied to the land
Explain the economic challenges in the South after the Civil War
Southern population and physical environment devastated
Former slaves competed with former owners and other whites for limited resources
KKK
Ku Klux Klan(KKK)
Group of whites who used violence and terror against freedmen and white republicans
Panic of 1873. What it was and the effect.
International financial downturn that affected much of Europe and the United States
Northern Republicans want to focus on financial issues and spend less of money & resources on Reconstruction
Rutherford B Hayes
Republican candidate for president 1876- made compromise to be president and to focus on economy instead of reconstruction
Compromise of 1877
Southern states who had disrupted election results because they were still under military reconstruction agreed to say hayes won presidency IF hayes promised to remove military occupation and give home rule back
Effect of the compromise of 1877
Southern Democrats assert full control of state governments
Fed government makes agreement to stay out of race relations in south = jim crow south starts
Poll taxes/literacy tests get passed= keep African Americans from voting
14th amendment only guarantees protection of federal government= not citizens
Lynchings increase
Black codes get passed
poll tax
Tax you had to pay before being allowed to vote
segregation
Laws passed in the south to separate white and black people in public and private facilities.
jim crow laws
Era of Racial segregation in the south after reconstruction ended and until the civil rights era
plessy v ferguson
supreme court case that said separate but equal is allowed in public facilities
