Reconstruction Era 1865-1877

Question 1

Economy by 1860

Answer 1

Population increase (1840=17m 1860=31m)
Predominantly farming
Food production increase up to 7x
Wealth inequalities (top 5% owned 53% of wealth)

Question 2

15th Amendment

Answer 2

1870 - voting rights

Question 3

Black Codes

Answer 3

1865/66
Restrictive laws to limit the freedoms of AA.
E.g. prohibited interracial marriages and public segregation.

Question 4

KKK

Answer 4

Power exemplified by Colfax Massacre 1873, 150 black men murdered by white southerners.

Question 5

North of the USA

Answer 5

Large cities (e.g. New York)
Developing economy - natural resources
7/8 immigrants settled in North
Ideal for large plantation
40% workforce farmers

Question 6

South of the USA

Answer 6

No large cities
Tobacco and cotton farms
1/10 lived in urban areas
80% workforce farmers
Falling economy

Question 7

Civil War (1861-1865) Causes

Answer 7

Unresolved constitutional issues
1860 Election of Abraham Lincoln
Slavery - growing abolishment movement

Question 8

Civil War (1861-1865) Effects

Answer 8

620,000-800,000 dead
4 years of conflict
Financial loss (Union=$2.6bn Confederacy=$1bn)
South impoverished (lost 40% livestock and 50% machinery)
1863 Emancipation Proclamation - freed 3.5mn slaves

Question 9

Lincoln’s plan

Answer 9

EASY ON SOUTHERNERS
10% Plan
New state constitutions had to outlaw slavery
No protection for freed AA

Question 10

Johnson’s plan

Answer 10

HARSH ON SOUTHERNERS
Amnesty to whites who signed loyalty oaths
States must abolish slavery
States must pay war debts
No role for freed blacks
No vote for AA

Question 11

Radical Republicans in Congress plan

Answer 11

WANTED TO HELP AA THE MOST
Promoted equal rights for freed AA
Military occupation of the South to oversee changes
Voting rights for AA males
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

Question 12

13th Amendment

Answer 12

1865 - outlaws slavery

Question 13

14th Amendment

Answer 13

1868 - guaranteed citizenship and equal protection of thee law and equal civil rights.

Question 14

Employment

Answer 14

Given little to no land
Moved to sharecropping
Significant economic hardship
1873 - falling cotton prices

Question 15

Vote

Answer 15

2 black senators
20 black house reps
Very little influence
Republicans rarely put black candidates forward

Question 16

AA Social position

Answer 16

Fail to guarantee AA rights
Introduction of Jim Crow laws
Suffered inferior facilities
Increase in black doctors, lawyers and teachers

Question 17

Immigration

Answer 17

1863- 176,282 immigrants: Pattern shifted to Scandinavia and SE Europe
Homestead Act 1862: 160 across of land to anyone willing to settle for 5 years with citizenship intention.

Question 18

Industrial Expansion

Answer 18

Grew and expanded westward to feed growing populations
Steel industry increased
Expanded use of resources
Emergence of monopolies
Railroad mileage doubled between 1873-1881, funding for 3 transcontinental

Question 19

Impact of Industrial Expansion

Answer 19

Overcrowded and poor quality slums
Corrupted ‘Boss system’
1873 Depression - 1mn unemployed, NY stock exchnage closed for 10 days
Homestead Act > Opened up areas in West for farming, NA tensions
Population increase
Cities identified with industries (BHX = steel)

Question 20

Manifest Destiny

Answer 20

Beliefs that white protestants were chosen by god to populate America.
Radical doctrine of white supremacy.

Question 21

Federal territory expansion

Answer 21

Wanted to secure land west of Mississippi
Appointed official to encourage settlers
Needed 60,000+ inhabitants

Question 22

Railroad expansion

Answer 22

1862 Pacific RR Act - authorised 2 companies to build transcontinental RR.
NA not consulted it would go through their land.

Question 23

Impact of Westward Expansion

Answer 23

Impact of Westward Expansion
Native American land decreased due to settlers
Increased army presence in the Plains

Question 24

Battle of Little Bighorn 1876

Answer 24

George Custer and his men sent to “get rid of” Sioux and Cheyenne tribes. NA defiant to demands so circled emcampment, within 1 hour all his 200 men killed.

Question 25

Sand Creek Massacre 1864

Answer 25

Treaty of Fort Wise 1861 - Asked tribes to move to reservations in East, however some stayed.

‘Black Kettle’ and his 700 troops attacked and destroyed a village of friendly Cheyenne and Arapaho encamped in southeastern Colorado Territory; killed over 230 inhabitants.

Question 26

The Great Sioux War 1876

Answer 26

Discovery of gold on Black Hills of Dakota, NA territory.
Gov attempted to get rid of prospectors, failed so offered NA $6mn, failed.
Gov demanded all NA go back to reservations or treated as hostile.
White population pressure made gov remove NA from Black Hills.

Question 27

Reservation policy

Answer 27

NA sense of self-determination deemed unacceptable, tried to ‘Americanise them’ through education, Christianity and farm training.

1887 Dawes Act - Ended reservations and authorised the federal confiscation and redistribution of tribal lands. Any NA who accepted the plots were allowed to become a US citizen. Within 20 years, 2/3 on their land was gone.

Question 28

Monroe Doctrine 1823

Answer 28

James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
1) Avoid European war unless interests threatened
2) ‘American continents’ not to be colonised by European powers
3) Any attempts at colonisation seen as unfriendly

Question 29

Isolationism reasons

Answer 29

• No real threats
• Europe is miles away
• Natural barriers (oceans)
• Suited as agricultural nation
• Large amounts of natural resources and booming market

Question 30

Isolationism limits

Answer 30

1846 - USA went to war with Mexico to support a rebellion in California for independence from Mexican rule.
- French took advantage of USA during Civil War by establishing puppet emperor
- 1866 Seward sent 50,000 troops to border and demanded French withdrawal
- French backed down and abandoned Maximillian

Question 31

Burlingame Trety 1868

Answer 31

Free trade with China
Stimulate immigration for the railroads
Furthered existing friendly relations with China

Question 32

Midway Island 1867

Answer 32

South Pacific inhabited
Wanted for guano supplies to make gunpowder and fertiliser.

Question 33

Dominican Republic 1869

Answer 33

Offered themselves up for colonisation but Congress refused. Following year, federal gov attempts to annex, sparked debate.
Support = exploit wealth and resources of DR
Against = do not want to deal with ‘savages’, fear ‘inferior people’ would become part of union

Question 34

Alaska Purchase 1867

Answer 34

Purchased from Russia for $7.2mn
- few settlers and resources
- development of harbours could be gateway to Asia for merchant ships to fuel
- expand Pacific coastline to keep Britain out
- maintain good relations with powerful Russian nations

Question 35

Britain and Canada

Answer 35

USA demanded compensation from Britain - $2bn or ceding of Canada to USA.
1867, Canada becomes a self-governing dominion.
USA retaliates through ‘Fenian raids’ across Canadian border between 1866 to 1871.
1872 - Dispute settled and Britain agreed to pay $15.5mn in damages to the US merchant fleet.