Answer Key Chapter The Era of Reconstruction, 1865–1877

Answer Key Chapter: The Era of Reconstruction, 1865–1877 1. What was Lincoln’s primary goal immediately following the Civil War? A. punishing the rebel states B. improving the lives of formerly enslaved people C. reunifying the country D. paying off the debts of the war 2. In 1864 and 1865, Radical Republicans were most concerned with ________. A. securing civil rights for formerly enslaved people B. barring ex-Confederates from political office C. seeking restitution from Confederate states D. preventing Andrew Johnson’s ascent to the presidency 3. What was the purpose of the Thirteenth Amendment? How was it different from the Emancipation Proclamation? 4. Which of the following was not one of the functions of the Freedmen’s Bureau? A. collecting taxes B. reuniting families C. establishing schools D. helping workers secure labor contracts 5. Which person or group was most responsible for the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment? A. President Johnson B. northern voters C. southern voters D. Radical Republicans in Congress 6. What was the goal of the Black codes? 7. Under Radical Reconstruction, which of the following did former Confederate states not need to do in order to rejoin the Union? A. pass the Fourteenth Amendment B. pass the Fifteenth Amendment C. revise their state constitution D. allow all freed men over the age of 21 to vote 8. The House of Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson over ________. A. the Civil Rights Act B. the Fourteenth Amendment C. the Military Reconstruction Act D. the Tenure of Office Act 9. What were the benefits and drawbacks of the Fifteenth Amendment? 10. Which of the following is not one of the methods the Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups used to intimidate Black people and White sympathizers? A. burning public schools B. petitioning Congress C. murdering freedmen who tried to vote D. threatening, beating, and killing those who disagreed with them 11. Which of the following was the term southerners used for a White southerner who tried to overturn the changes of Reconstruction? A. scalawag B. carpetbagger C. redeemer D. white knight 12. Why was it difficult for southern free Black people to gain economic independence after the Civil War? Critical Thinking Questions 13. How do you think would history have been different if Lincoln had not been assassinated? How might his leadership after the war have differed from that of Andrew Johnson? 14. Was the Thirteenth Amendment a success or a failure? Discuss the reasons for your answer. 15. Consider the differences between the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. What does the Fourteenth Amendment do that the Thirteenth does not? 16. Consider social, political, and economic equality. In what ways did Radical Reconstruction address and secure these forms of equality? Where did it fall short? 17. Consider the problem of terrorism during Radical Reconstruction. If you had been an adviser to President Grant, how would you propose to deal with the problem? Answer Key 1. C. reunifying the country 2. B. barring ex-Confederates from political office 3. The purpose of the Thirteenth Amendment was to abolish slavery permanently, whereas the Emancipation Proclamation only declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free during the Civil War but did not abolish slavery nationwide. 4. A. collecting taxes 5. D. Radical Republicans in Congress 6. The goal of the Black codes was to restrict the freedoms and rights of newly freed African Americans, effectively creating a system of legalized discrimination and labor exploitation. 7. B. pass the Fifteenth Amendment 8. D. the Tenure of Office Act 9. The benefits of the Fifteenth Amendment included granting African American men the right to vote, a significant step toward political equality. However, its drawbacks included the failure to address other forms of discrimination and violence that prevented African Americans from exercising their voting rights effectively. 10. B. petitioning Congress 11. A. scalawag 12. It was difficult for southern free Black people to gain economic independence after the Civil War due to systemic racism, limited access to education and resources, and discriminatory practices such as sharecropping and debt peonage. Critical Thinking Questions 13. If Lincoln had not been assassinated, his leadership after the war might have differed from Andrew Johnson's in several ways. Lincoln may have pursued a more lenient approach toward Reconstruction, seeking to reconcile the North and South and promote healing rather than punitive measures. He may have also prioritized the protection of civil rights for African Americans and worked to implement policies to address the economic and social challenges facing the South. 14. The Thirteenth Amendment can be seen as a success because it achieved the abolition of slavery in the United States, thereby fulfilling a long-standing goal of many abolitionists and ensuring that slavery could not be reinstated. However, its effectiveness in securing lasting freedom and equality for African Americans was limited by subsequent discriminatory laws and practices. 15. The Fourteenth Amendment goes beyond the Thirteenth by granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, ensuring equal protection under the law, and prohibiting states from depriving individuals of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. It addresses issues of citizenship, civil rights, and equal protection that the Thirteenth Amendment does not specifically cover. 16. Radical Reconstruction addressed social, political, and economic equality by enacting laws and amendments to grant African Americans citizenship, civil rights, and voting rights. It also sought to address economic disparities through initiatives such as the Freedmen's Bureau. However, it fell short in fully securing these forms of equality due to resistance from Southern states, the rise of terrorist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, and the eventual abandonment of Reconstruction policies. 17. As an adviser to President Grant, I would propose a multifaceted approach to deal with terrorism during Radical Reconstruction. This approach would include strengthening federal enforcement of civil rights laws, deploying federal troops to protect African American communities from violence and intimidation, prosecuting members of terrorist organizations, and working with state and local authorities to ensure the rule of law. Additionally, efforts would be made to address the underlying social and economic grievances that fueled support for terrorist groups.