Reconstruction Era (1865 - 1877) Flashcards
1
Q
List some positives of reconstruction
(Legislation and African Americans)
A
- The reconstruction amendments
- The rise of elected black officials
- The Freedmen’s Bureau
2
Q
List some failures of reconstruction
(African Americans, white response, end of reconstruction)
A
- Problems of the Freedmen’s Bureau
- White violence
- Black codes
- The compromise of 1877
3
Q
Name some key events from the presidency of Lincoln
A
- Readmission of the Southern States into the union
- The 13th Amendment
- The Freedmen’s Bureau
- Lincoln’s assassination
4
Q
What was Lincoln’s attitude to reconstruction?
A
- Unclear
- Did not seem to want to punish the South
- Did seem to be moving towards more rights for African Americans
5
Q
Name some key events from the presidency of Johnson
A
- Civil Rights Bill 1866
- The 14th Amendment
- Attempted impeachment in 1868
- Congress for Radical Reconstruction (Military Reconstruction Bill, Command of the Army Act, Tenure of Office Act)
6
Q
What was Johnson’s attitude to reconstruction?
A
- Very opposed to radical reconstruction
- Lenient on the South
7
Q
Name some key events from the presidency of Grant
A
- White terrorists
- Legal discrimination
- Final policies of reconstruction (15th Amendment, Ku klux klan laws, Civil Rights Act 1875)
- The failure of radical reconstruction
- Many scandals
8
Q
What was Grant’s attitude to reconstruction?
A
Supported Reconstruction but not passionately enough
9
Q
Explain how Reconstruction was not harsh on the South
A
Only 1 execution, no major confiscation of property
10
Q
What was the overall economic effect of Reconstruction?
A
Positive effect on US economy overall
11
Q
What were some proposed reasons for Westward expansion?
A
- No overriding motive
- Initial settlers were followed by immigrants
- Deliberate policies of the Federal government
- Manifest Destiny
12
Q
What was Manifest Destiny?
A
- The belief that God had chosen the White Americans to populate the whole of America
- Incorporation into the US and indoctrination with Christian and Republican values would liberate other American territories
- Used to justify white colonial expropriation of Native American lands
13
Q
What were federal territories?
A
- Land was divide into territories which were subject to US law
- Settlers were encouraged
- Once population of a territory reached 60,000 they could apply to become a state
14
Q
Describe the Homestead Act
A
- 1862
- This released 160-acre plots of land, available to farmers for free as long as they promised to farm the land for at least 5 years
- By 1865, 20,000 homesteaders had arrived on the plains
15
Q
Describe the Sand Creek Massacre
A
- 1864
- 700 poorly disciplined volunteer troops and cavalry attacked an undefended camp of the Cheyenne tribe
- Men, women and children killed
16
Q
Describe the Great Sioux War
A
- 1876
- Discovery of gold in the Black Hills of Dakota
- At first, gov tried to keep prospectors out but it proved impossible
- Next, gov offered Native Americans $6 million for the land
- NA refused so gov decided they were being unreasonable and demanded all NA return to their reservations by 31st January 1876
- Some never received the threat, some chose to ignore
- Gov decided to use the US Army to wipe out all NA from the Blackhills
17
Q
Describe the Battle of Little Bighorn
A
- 25th June 1876
- George Custer and his men were sent to round up Sioux and Cheyenne tribes who had left the reservation and were refusing to return
- Without waiting for the rest of the force to arrive, Custer and his men attempted to encircle the camp
- His unit immediately came under attack and all 200 were killed
18
Q
Describe Reservation Policy
A
- The policy of forcing Native Americans to live on government controlled reservations
- This would enable the government to ‘Americanise’ them through conversion to Christianity, a formal education system and training to become farmers
- Life on the reservations was harsh and reliance on the government was humiliating
19
Q
Describe how the impact of the Civil war stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- Demand for goods developed mass production and ditribution
- Set up financial infrastructure such as high tariffs, a capital-raising system, paper currency and more developed banking system
20
Q
Describe how transport stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- 1869, first transcontinental railroad to the far west
- Travel time NY to San Fran went from 6 months to 6 days
- Amount of railroad track x3, 1860-1880
- Employed thousands of workers
- Required roads, steel, coal and engine manufacturing
21
Q
Describe how availability of land stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- Increased westward expansion
- Railroad development
- Expansion of farming and increased mechanisation of agriculture
21
Q
Describe how population growth stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- Population rose from 31.5 million (1860) to 50 million (1880)
- Cheap labour and increased consumers
22
Q
Describe how availability of capital stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- Highly developed stock markets
- By 1865, annual stock market turnover was $6 billion
- Increase in investment and shares
- By 1880, 2nd largest money market in the world
23
Q
Describe how the role of government stimulated industrial growth in this period
A
- Laissez-faire
- No taxes on profits
- No laws restricting working hours
- Protective tariffs
- Few/no trade unions
- During strike, employers recieved government support
24
Describe how technological innovation stimulated industrial growth in this period
- Carnegie brings 'Bessemer Converter' to steel production in the US
- Technology allowed businesses to keep prices low and reinvest the profits
25
Describe how corporations and trusts stimulated industrial growth in this period
- Corporations buy, sell and own properties
- 'Trustees' avoid state laws that prevent ownership of shares in more than one company or state by owning shares on someone else's behalf
26
Describe how industrial growth impacted on urbanisation
- Chicago population went from 30,000 (1850) to over 1 million (1890)
- Manufacturing increased
- Rapid influx of overcrowded slum housing
- The 'Boss' system
27
Describe how industrial growth impacted on agriculture
- The developement of 'big agribusiness' wiped out smaller farms
- Farmers went into debt trying to afford more land and mechanisation
- South too dependent on just cotton
- Prices of goods dropping
28
Describe the Second Gold Rush
- Began in the Black Hills of Dakota in the mid 1870's
- Deposits of gold found in Deadwood Gulch in 1875 and thousands of people moved there
- This violeted the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie which recognised the Black Hills as belonging to the Sioux but the government made no intervention
29
Describe how railroads contributed to Westward expansion
- Pacific Railroad Act 1862
- Railroads lured settlers with 'buy now, pay later'
- Train disrupted buffalo herds and brought settlers, disturbing the native americans
- 1870 = 15,000 passengers a year, 1882 = 1 million passengers a year
30
How did reconstruction effect African American vote?
- Initially held large proportion of the vote in South Carolina and Mississippi
- 2 black senators and 20 black representatives elected to Congress
However:
- Minority vote in most states
- Even the Republican party put forward white candidates to secure white votes
31
How did reconstruction effect African American employment?
- Little to no land given to ex-slaves
- 1865, Johnson ordered all confiscated land to be returned to 'pardoned' white southeners
- By 1870's most ex-slaves became sharecroppers
32
How did reconstruction effect African American social position?
- Increase in black institutions
- Small no of black men became teachers, lawyers or doctors
- Seperate schools were inferior but better than nothing
33
How did reconstruction effect African Americans facing white violence?
- KKK set up 1866
- White League set up 1873
34
Describe the Monroe Doctrine
- 1823
- US would avoid being involved in European wars unless American interests were involved
- The 'American continent' was not to be colonised by European powers
- Colonisation would be regarder as an 'unfriendly' act
- Indicated a disinterest in foreign affairs
35
Describe intervention in Mexico
- 1846, US went to war with Mexico to free California from Mexican rule
- 1866, the French invaded Mexico. US demanded that France withdraw and moved 50,000 troops to the border. French back down.
36
Reasons for isolationism
- US moral superiority
- US was a nation of immigrants and international intervention would have divided the population
- US had sufficient raw materials available to not need imports
- US protected by Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
- No country on the US land border was considered a major threat
37
Describe expansion in the Far East in this period
- 1867, acquired Midway Island to obtain guano for fertilser and gunpowder
- 1868 Burlingame Treaty endorsed free movement and free trade betwen US and China
38
Describe expansion in the Dominican Republic in this period
- 1869, DR offered itself for colonisation but Congress refused
- 1870, federal government attempt to annex DR
- Fear that this might non-white influence in America
- Senate reject annexation
39
Describe expansion in Alaska in this period
- Purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million
Reasons:
- Alaskan harbours would serve as a stopping place on the way to Northern Asia
- Expand US rule and keep British out
- Maintain good relations with Russia
40
Explain why the US felt they deserved compensation from Britain
- Britain had appeared to support the confederacy during the Civil War
- Building of Confederate ships in British dockyards
41
Explain how Reconstruction influenced the control of the South
- Democratic party dominant
- Not much influence by carpetbaggers (northerners were less than 2% of the population of each southern state)
- Some corruption and bribery but this was true nationwide
42
Explain what adverse effects Reconstruction had on the South
- Temporary loss of Democratic control in Southern states
- 1788-1860 = all southerner Presidents, 1864-1914 = one southerner President
- Southerners dominate Supreme Court to 7/31 Supreme Court judges from South
43
Describe the positive effects Reconstruction had on the southern economy
- Benefited from general prosperity
- High cotton prices
- Railroads rebuilt
- Textile manufacturing expanded
44
Describe the negative effects of Reconstruction on the southern economy
- Did not keep up with the North
- 1870's white southerners income was 2/5ths of white northerners
- Heavily agricultural and highly dependent on cotton (cotton prices fall in the 1870's)
45
Describe the Timber and Culture Act
- 1873
- Gave homesteaders an additional 160 acres
- Provided 40 acres were planted with trees
46
Described the Desert and Land Act
- 1877
- Offered a further 640 acres at $1.25 an acre
- Provided some of it was irrigated
47
Describe how the US claimed compensation from Britain
- Wanted to ask for $2 billion or the whole of Canada
- However, Canada became self-governing in 1867
- US retaliated by allowing Fenian raids by Irish-American Civil War veterans across the border into Canada 1866-1871
- Dispute settled 1872, Britain paid $15.5 million to US as Civil War compensation
48
Describe the Pacific Railroad Act
- 1862
- Authorised Central Pacific and Union Pacific to build a transcontinental railroad which was completed 1869
49
Describe the 'Boss system'
Corrupt local mayor who bought votes by selling housing and other necessities to the highest bidder
50
Describe the Ten Percent Plan
* Introduced by Lincoln in 1864
Rebel states would be admitted to the union if:
* 10% of their electorate swore an oath of future allegiance to the USA
* They supported all existing acts of Congress regarding slavery
* They allowed AA to vote
51
Describe the Wade-Davis Bill
* 1865
* Introduced by Radical Republicans who felt the 10% plan wasn't strong enough
* Required 50% of electorate to take a much tougher pledge of allegiance of past and future loyalty to the union
* Excluded all those involved in the Confederacy from any role in future government
* State constitutions must ban slavery
52
Describe Johnson and the Wade-Davis Bill
* Accepted the oath of loyalty
* But, ruled that when each former confederate state held a convention to revise their constitutions, those attending would be elected by the 1860 white electorate
53
Describe the 1866 Civil Rights Bill
* Gave some rights to AA
* Johnson vetoed the bill
* For the first time ever, congress overturned the presidential veto
54
Describe the Military Reconstruction Bill
* 1867
* Imposed military rule on the South, apart from Tennessee
* To return to the Union, states had elect a national convention that would accept black suffrage and the 14th Amendment
55
Describe the Tenure of Office Act
* Prevented Johnson from removing certain office holders
* Was designed to protect Secretary of State, Stanton, who was a vocal critic and radical Republican
56
Describe the impeachment of Johnson
* 1868
* Johnson ignored the Tenure of Office Act and dismissed Stanton
* Congress issues 11 articles of impeachment against Johnson
* Johnson survived but was only one short of the 2/3rds majority needed to impeach him
57
Describe the 15th Amendment
* 1869
* 'The right to vote should not be denied on account of race, colour or previous conditions of servitude'
58
Describe the speculation scandal under Grant
* A group of speculators attempted to influence the government and manipulate the gold market
* Failed and caused the 24th September 1869 financial panic, Black Friday
* Grant was personally associated with two of the spectators, Fisk and Gould
59
Describe the Whiskey Ring scandal under Grant
* 1875
* A group of distillers, distributors and public officials working together to evade liquor tax
* Grant's private secretary, Babcock, was indicted
* Grant helped him get acquitted
60
Describe the Colfax Massacre
* 1873
* Colfax, Louisiana
* The Republican party narrowly won the Louisiana governor's race
* Armed supporters of the Democrats attempted to take Colfax Parish Courthouse as the Republicans defended
* White supremacists fired on the Republicans, killing 60 to 100 men (most of whom were black)
* Were initially arrested and charged
* Were later released as they the law they had broken was ruled unconstitutional by the SC
