The making of america: reconstruction. Flashcards
what were the dates for reconstruction?
1865- 1870.
after what event did reconstruction start?
confederacy surrendered in april 1865.
what did lincoln pass and when?
31st 1865.
13 th amendment- banned slavery except as a punishment for a crime.
what was lincolns approach to reconstruction?
slower integration of southern states.
improve infrastructure in the south.
voting rights for african americans.
what happened to lincoln on 15th april 1865?
assassinated by john wilkes booth whilst at the theatre.
who became president after lincoln and what was his background?
vice president andrew jackson.
white southerner.
why would andrew johnson’s aims would have helped poor white southerners?
would help protect them from northern industries and help rebuild what they knew. not going to harshly punished only rich, top generals. have there land back.
johnson’s aim: believed his most important job after the war was to bring the country back together again. what was his action that matched this?
allowed confederate states to reapply for membership of the union with almost immediate affect. this meant they got their old power back straight away.
johnson’s aim: opposed the powerful plantation owners who served as generals and believed that they should be punished but didn’t think it should extend to others who fought. what was his action that matched this?
planned to punish only the very top levels of the confederate army.
published a plan to pardon 16,000 confederate soldiers in may 1865.
johnson’s aim: was suspicious of the US government getting involved in state laws and forcing states to do things they disagreed with. what was his action that matched this?
allowed southern states to re-establish their state governments with little interference.
johnson’s aim: strongly believed that the poor whites in th south needed protecting and defending from the growth of big business and capitalist northern industry. what was his action that matched this?
returned lands that had previously been given to ex-slaves including the sea islands. only 2000 black families held onto the land that had been given.
what did Johnson say was finished in december 1865?
reconstruction.
how did the republican party feel after hearing reconstruction was finished this early?
shocked.
what was an issue of the state governments being back in the hands of southern plantation owners?
not even sworn an oath of loyalty to the union but had still be pardoned.
although the south never tried to slave another person again they passed laws with virtually the same effect. what were these called?
black codes.
what were black codes?
limited the rights of black workers, stopping them from serving on juries or giving evidence against white people in trials, banning marriages between black and white americans, making black ownership of weapons illegal.
the black codes laws varied from state to state but much had the same effect. what was the condition in mississippi?
ruled african americans were not allowed to rent or own farmland.
the black codes laws varied from state to state but much had the same effect. what was the condition in louisiana?
they had to work for the same employer for a full year and never leave his land in that time.
by december of 1865 what group had been set up and what did they do?
Ku Klux Klan.
violent racist group formed.
threatening and even murdering african americans at will.
congress reconstruction plan: February 1866?
before his death lincoln had set up a temporary freedman’s bureau. took land from ex-slave holders and gave it to ex-slaves. also helped with education and healthcare.
congress reconstruction plan: march 1866?
introduced civil rights bill. make it federal crime punishable by fine and imprisonment to deprive any person of his/ her civil rights. Johnson blocked the bill twice- congress overrode him.
congress reconstruction plan: june 1866?
congress approved 14th amendment.
all persons born in the united states were seen as citizens regardless of race.
congress reconstruction plan: november 1866?
republicans gained huge majority in elections to congress. allowed even more to push for radical change.
congress reconstruction plan: january 1867?
black men in washington DC given right to vote for the first time.
paved the way for other southern states.
congress reconstruction plan: march- july 1867?
congress passed 3 reconstruction acts. these:
- removed all state governments in ex-confederacy, dividing south into five military districts to be run by union generals.
- banned all people who fought against union in civil war from voting.
- required army officers to make sure that voters were properly registered and black rights were protected.
- required confederate states to write a new constitution, allow black americans to vote, agree to accept the 13 and 14th amendments before they could eb permitted to run themselves again.
