Reconstruction Basics
Why is this era called "reconstruction?"
Refferred to the rebuilding, or "reconstructing," of the U.S. after the Civil War which split the country apart.
What are HBCUs and why were they created?
Historically Black Colleges and Universities -- Created by Black students for their community when predominantly White schools denied accepting Black students
While the South was trying to re-establish their agricultural working sector, what kind of work did the North move towards?
Industrial work like mining, steelwork, construction, and manufacturing.
The 15th Amendment extended the right to vote to all men, regardless of race. This gave Black Americans new political power. But as Black political power was growing, so was _______.
White supremacy and hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan who used fear as a tactic to keep Black voters from participating in politics.
When was the Reconstruction Era and how long did it last?
A period of time after the Civil War, from about 1865 to the late 1870s
______ were places that Black intellectuals, writers, thinkers, and educators would gather to talk about politics, news, and the world. They had to meet in secret and change locations often.
Black Literary Societies
What was "sharecropping" and why did Southern Whites choose to implement this system?
The practice of working on a plantation or farm, in exchange for housing and sometimes a portion of crops from the season. This was a way for White southerners to keep Freedpeople in a system close to slavery as possible since the Southern economy relied on Black enslaved labor.
DAILY DOUBLE!!!
What 3 major constitutional amendments were a result of the Reconstruction Era, and what did the amendments do?
13th Amendment: Ends slavery in the U.S., except when used as a punishment for crime.
14th Amendment: Establishes birthright citizenship, granting citizenship for the first time to Black Americans
15th Amendment: Extends voting rights to all men over 18 y/o, regardless of race
What are 3 main goals of Freedpeople during Reconstruction?
To gain full citizenship, educate themselves, right to vote, and the right to own land.
Many enslaved people did not have names of their own, or if they did, it was names given by their owners. Choosing new names for themselves was a way to reclaim power in their identity.
How did the economic re-growth and agricultural bounce back across the U.S. affect Indigenous communities?
The expansion of agricultural work and establishing new industrial industries like mining, railroad building, and construction came at the cost of taking up even more Indigenous lands from Native peoples.
Because their ancestors were bought and sold over and over again and forced to work on these lands generation after generation.
What are Black Codes (AND give 1 example)
Laws and rules established to limit the freedoms and rights of Black Americans during the Reconstruction Era.
Some examples include: Voting restriction laws, travel restriction laws, making homelessness a crime, and outlawing public gatherings of Black people.
Outlawing the public gatherings of Black people (unless a White person was present) was one example of ______ during the Reconstruction Era.
Black Codes
How did buffalo hunting by U.S. settlers affect midwest tribes like the Sioux, Blackfoot, and Cheyenne?
U.S. settlers completely hunted out the buffalo in the Sioux, Blackfoot, and Cheyenne lands, who relied on the animal for much of their livelihood and survival. This forced native communities to be even more dependent and reliant on the U.S. government for resources to survive.
The 14th Amendment granted Black Americans in the U.S. citizenship for the first time in the country's history. How did this amendment work for Indigenous communities?
Indigenous people could also apply for citizenship, but they had to renounce tribal connections and leave their tribe's reservations.