Unit 4: Emancipation and Reconstruction Flashcards
Which of the following was not a consequence Southern States faced because of their succession from the United States?
Public acknowledgment that benefitting from the kidnapping and enslavement of Black people was wrong and a commitment to compensation and equality moving forward.
What was one of the ramifications for formerly enslaved people when President Andrew Johnson revoked Special Field Orders No. 15, which came to be known as 40 Acres and A Mule?
Southern planters did not lose any land and many formerly enslaved Black Americans became sharecroppers to their former masters.
Why were Black Codes implemented by many Southern states after the Civil War?
To ensure a social order similar to the one in existence before the Civil War and rebuild their economy.
Why was the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands established by President Abraham Lincoln?
To assist in addressing some of the issues that came of reconstruction following the Civil War in the South such as employment, housing, and healthcare.
What were the names like “carpetbagger” and “scalawag” meant to do?
Mock individuals that were opposed to the Civil War and supported reconstruction efforts.
Deepen the divide between former Confederates and many Northern people.
Refer to Northerns who were perceived as wanting to profit from the chaos.
What was a result of the Enforcement Acts passed by the federal government from 1820 to 1871 in an effort to suppress violent attacks by the Ku Klux Klan against Black people?
Various paramilitary groups, including the Red Shirts, arose in the South to ensure the continued oppression of Black people.
Which Supreme Court ruling gave full approval to racial discrimination and set the stage for a “separate but equal” Jim Crow society?
Plessy vs. Ferguson
How did the Compromise of 18777 impacy Black people in the South?
Federal interference in the South officially ended and Southern Democrats could overturn the advances Black people had made during reconstruction.
How did films such as The Birth of A Nation and Gone With The Wind shape how Black Americans were perceived and treated?
Served as racist propaganda that helped agitate and promote racist attacks by dehumanizing Black people.
At great risk to her own personal safety, she used her skills as a writer to disprove the common myth that Black men are a threat to White females.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
THINK BIG PICTURE
What was the attitude of the different groups of Americans during Reconstruction (Southerns, Northerners, the formerly enslaved, and the Abollitionist)?
Attitudes of Different Groups During Reconstruction
Southerners (Former Confederates)
Many were angry and resistant to change because they lost the Civil War and their way of life, including enslaved labor.
Some tried to limit the rights of formerly enslaved people by creating Black Codes, which restricted their freedom.
Wealthy landowners wanted to keep control over farming and business by using sharecropping, which kept many Black people in poverty.
Northerners
Some wanted to punish the South for the war and ensure equal rights for Black Americans.
Others, especially businesspeople, were more focused on rebuilding the economy than fighting for racial equality.
Over time, some Northerners lost interest in helping Black Americans, leading to the end of Reconstruction in 1877.
Formerly Enslaved People
They were hopeful for a new life with freedom, education, and jobs.
Many worked hard to build schools, churches, and businesses to support their communities.
They wanted equal rights but faced violence and discrimination from groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
How did the formerly enslaved people envision their future as free men and women? What view did the former slaveholders have for the futures of the formerly enslaved people?
How Formerly Enslaved People and Former Slaveholders Envisioned the Future
Formerly Enslaved People’s Vision for Their Future
Freedom & Independence – They wanted to live freely, make their own decisions, and not be controlled by white landowners.
Education – Many wanted to learn to read and write since education was denied to them during slavery. They built schools and colleges (e.g., Howard University and Fisk University).
Owning Land & Businesses – They hoped to buy land, start farms, and build businesses to support themselves and their families.
Voting & Political Rights – Many wanted the right to vote and become leaders in government to help their communities.
Strong Families & Communities – They searched for family members who had been sold away and built churches and organizations for support.
How were former members of the Confederacy required to declare their loyalty to the United States?
How Former Confederates Were Required to Declare Loyalty to the United States
Oath of Allegiance – Former Confederates had to swear an oath promising loyalty to the United States and agreeing to follow its laws.
Presidential Pardons – President Andrew Johnson offered pardons to many former Confederates, allowing them to regain rights if they swore loyalty.
Rejoining the Union – Southern states had to accept new laws, including the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, before they could return to the U.S. government.
Ironclad Oath (For Some Officials) – High-ranking Confederate leaders and wealthy landowners had to take an Ironclad Oath, swearing they had never supported the Confederacy, to regain citizenship or hold office.
Military Rule – Some Southern states were placed under military control until they proved they were following Reconstruction laws.
Reconstruction Acts – Congress passed laws forcing Southern states to create new governments that included Black citizens and former Union supporters.
Evaluate whether Reconstruction provided the necessary support system for newly freed captives?
✅ Ways Reconstruction Helped Newly Freed People
Freedmen’s Bureau – Provided food, medical care, and education to formerly enslaved people and poor whites.
Education Opportunities – Many Black schools and colleges (like Howard University and Fisk University) were created to help people learn to read, write, and gain skills.
Constitutional Amendments –
13th Amendment (1865) – Ended slavery.
14th Amendment (1868) – Granted citizenship to Black Americans.
15th Amendment (1870) – Gave Black men the right to vote.
Black Political Participation – Many formerly enslaved men were elected to local, state, and national offices (e.g., Hiram Revels, the first Black U.S. Senator).
Some Land & Work Opportunities – Some freed people got land and jobs, though not always fairly.
❌ Ways Reconstruction Failed to Provide Enough Support
Lack of Land & Economic Independence – Many formerly enslaved people were promised land (“40 acres and a mule”), but most never received it.
Sharecropping Trapped People in Poverty – Instead of owning land, many were forced into sharecropping, where they worked white-owned land and stayed in debt.
Rise of White Supremacist Groups – Groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used violence to terrorize Black communities and stop them from voting or gaining power.
Black Codes & Jim Crow Laws – Southern states passed laws restricting Black people’s rights, making it hard for them to vote, work freely, or live safely.
Federal Support Weakened Over Time – By 1877, the U.S. government removed federal troops from the South, allowing white leaders to take back control and oppress Black Americans.
How do the events of Emancipation and Reconstruction reinforce that racism in the United States is not a new phenomenon?
How Emancipation and Reconstruction Show That Racism in the U.S. Is Not New
Before & During Emancipation (1863-1865)
Slavery Was Based on Racism – Enslaved Africans were treated as property and denied basic human rights because of their race.
Emancipation Was Met with Resistance – Even after the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the 13th Amendment (1865), many white
Southerners did not accept Black freedom.
Violence Against Freed People – Many newly freed people faced attacks, lynchings, and forced labor as whites tried to keep them in a lower social position.
During Reconstruction (1865-1877)
Black Codes Restricted Freed People – Southern states passed Black Codes to limit Black people’s rights, controlling where they could live, work, and travel.
Rise of White Supremacist Groups – Groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used violence and intimidation to stop Black Americans from voting.
Jim Crow Laws & Segregation – Even after Reconstruction ended, racism continued with laws separating Black and white people in schools, public plwer.
Unequal Justice System – Laws were made to punish Black Americans more harshly than white Americans for the same crimes.
Limited Economic Opportunities – Instead of giving freed people land, many were forced into sharecropping, which kept them in poverty and debt, races, and jobs.
