Reconstruction Basics
What was the main goal of Reconstruction?
A. Spread slavery to new states
B. Rebuild the South and reunite the Union
C. Expand U.S. territory
D. Increase taxes in the South
B. Rebuild the South and reunite the Union
Who became president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?
A. Ulysses S. Grant
B. Andrew Johnson
C. Rutherford B. Hayes
D. James Buchanan
B. Andrew Johnson
Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States?
A. 13th Amendment
B. 14th Amendment
C. 15th Amendment
D. 16th Amendment
A. 13th Amendment
What was sharecropping?
A. Workers earning hourly wages
B. Farmers splitting profits with the government
C. Poor farmers renting land and paying with part of their crops
D. Union soldiers farming Southern land
C. Poor farmers renting land and paying with part of their crops
What organization used violence and fear against African Americans and their allies during Reconstruction?
The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK.
During which years did the Reconstruction Era take place?
A. 1850–1860
B. 1861–1865
C. 1865–1877
D. 1877–1890
C. 1865–1877
Which group pushed for stronger and harsher Reconstruction policies?
A. Copperheads
B. Southern Democrats
C. Radical Republicans
D. Loyalists
C. Radical Republicans
Which amendment granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States?
A. 12th Amendment
B. 13th Amendment
C. 14th Amendment
D. 15th Amendment
C. 14th Amendment
What were Black Codes?
A. Laws protecting African American rights
B. Southern laws restricting African Americans’ rights
C. Northern voting laws
D. Military supply codes
B. Southern laws restricting African Americans’ rights
What was the purpose of the Enforcement Acts?
They were intended to protect African Americans’ voting rights and allow the federal government to act against groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
What was the main purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau?
A. Collect taxes for Reconstruction
B. Rebuild Southern railroads
C. Help formerly enslaved people
D. Write new state constitutions
C. Help formerly enslaved people
Who were carpetbaggers?
A. Northerners who moved South for opportunity
B. Southern whites who supported Reconstruction
C. Former Confederate generals
D. Freedmen elected to Congress
A. Northerners who moved South for opportunity
Which amendment protected voting rights regardless of race or previous condition of slavery?
A. 13th Amendment
B. 14th Amendment
C. 15th Amendment
D. 16th Amendment
C. 15th Amendment
What did poll taxes and literacy tests do?
A. Protected freedmen’s rights
B. Increased crop production
C. Prevented many African Americans from voting
D. Encouraged women to vote
C. Prevented many African Americans from voting
Why was the Ku Klux Klan a major obstacle to Reconstruction progress?
The Klan used threats, violence, and murder to intimidate African Americans and their allies, discourage voting, and weaken new civil rights.
What was one major failure of Reconstruction?
A. Lasting equality for freedmen
B. Widespread corruption and resistance
C. Equal access to education
D. Permanent federal protection
B. Widespread corruption and resistance
Who were scalawags?
A. Union soldiers stationed in the South
B. Northerners who moved South
C. Southern whites who supported Reconstruction
D. Southern Democrats who opposed all change
C. Southern whites who supported Reconstruction
Which law divided the former Confederacy into military districts?
A. Homestead Act
B. Missouri Compromise
C. Reconstruction Act of 1867
D. Emancipation Act
C. Reconstruction Act of 1867
What was segregation under Jim Crow laws?
A. Equal schools and services for everyone
B. Racial separation with inferior services for African Americans
C. The integration of public facilities
D. A tax on Southern farms
B. Racial separation with inferior services for African Americans
What agreement ended Reconstruction, and what major action did it require?
The Compromise of 1877; it led to the removal of federal troops from the South.
Explain why rebuilding the South involved more than repairing buildings, farms, and railroads.
Reconstruction also had to restore Southern governments, reunite the nation, and establish and protect rights for formerly enslaved people.
Why did Radical Republicans oppose Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plan?
They believed Johnson’s plan was too lenient toward former Confederate states and did not do enough to protect the rights and safety of formerly enslaved people.
Compare the rights protected by the 14th and 15th Amendments.
The 14th Amendment established citizenship and equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment protected voting rights regardless of race or previous enslavement.
Explain how sharecropping could keep formerly enslaved families trapped in poverty.
Families often had to borrow money for land, tools, food, and seed. After giving the landowner a large share of the crop, they could remain in debt and have little chance to save money or buy land.
Explain how the withdrawal of federal troops in 1877 affected African Americans in the South.
Without federal troops enforcing Reconstruction laws, Southern white leaders regained control. African Americans faced increased violence, voting restrictions, segregation, and the loss of many rights gained during Reconstruction.