Reconstruction Politics
What were the Black Codes designed to do after the Civil War?
Black Codes restricted African Americans’ freedom and kept them in a labor system close to slavery.
Which amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.?
13th Amendment
What economic system replaced slavery for many African Americans and poor whites?
Sharecropping
What government act gave settlers 160 acres of free land if they farmed it for 5 years?
Homestead Act of 1862
What religious movement promised the return of buffalo and the end of white expansion?
Ghost Dance movement.
Which amendment guaranteed citizenship to all people born in the U.S.?
14th Amendment
Which amendment outlawed racial discrimination in voting?
15th Amendment
What was Redemption Violence?
An approach to upholding white supremacy through violence and terror during Reconstruction (lynching, threats, attacks, KKK, etc) as a way to "redeem" the South from the "evil" North.
Which two immigrant groups were most prominent in building the Transcontinental Railroad?
Irish + Chinese
Which 1868 treaty temporarily granted the Sioux control of the Black Hills before being broken?
What was one major difference between Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan and the Radical Republicans’ plan?
Lincoln wanted leniency (“10% Plan”), Radicals wanted punishment and protections for freedmen.
What key civil rights were guaranteed under the 14th Amendment?
Equal protection under the law and due process for all citizens.
What was one major goal of advocates for the “New South” during Reconstruction?
To modernize the Southern economy through industry and railroads while still maintaining white supremacy in society and politics
What was the purpose of the Dawes Act (1887)?
Broke up tribal lands and forced assimilation.
How did the near-extinction of the bison impact Native American life on the plains?
Destroyed Native food supply and way of life.
What event officially ended Reconstruction in 1877?
Compromise of 1877
Why was the 15th Amendment limited in practice for African Americans in the South? (Challenges)
Literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation limited Black voting rights.
How did industrial growth in the “New South” compare to the North?
Industrial growth lagged far behind the North.
What happened at the Battle of Wounded Knee (1890)?
U.S. Army massacred hundreds of Sioux; marked the end of Native armed resistance.
What were two ways Native Americans resisted U.S. policies of assimilation in the late 1800s?
They preserved traditions, resisted assimilation, and created informal governance.
How did the Enforcement Acts (1870–71) attempt to limit the power of the Ku Klux Klan?
Gave federal troops the power to suppress the KKK and protect Black voters.
What were two limitations that Southern states placed on African Americans’ rights during Reconstruction, despite the protections of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?
Black Codes, violence/intimidation, poll taxes, literacy tests, etc.
Why was the South still largely dependent on cotton after Reconstruction?
Cotton remained dominant and tied the South to global markets.
What was historian Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis”?
Claimed the frontier shaped American democracy, individualism, and innovation and is now closed.
What was the goal of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887, and how did it affect Native communities?
It aimed to assimilate Natives by dividing tribal lands into individual plots, but it led to massive Native land loss and weakened tribal sovereignty.