Reconstruction after the Civil War

Learn about Reconstruction after the Civil War! Key events, amendments, and policies explained.

Here is a link to listen to the text below American Civil WarCivil War ReconstructionMuch of the Southern United States was destroyed during the Civil war. Farms and plantations were burned down and their crops destroyed. Also, many people had Confederate money which was now worthless and the local governments were in disarray. The South needed to be rebuilt.The rebuilding of the South after the Civil War is called the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1877. The purpose of the Reconstruction was to help the South become a part of the Union again. Federal troops occupied much of the South during the Reconstruction to insure that laws were followed and that another uprising did not occur.Broad Street Charleston, South CarolinaTo Punish the South or Not Many people wanted the South to be punished for trying to leave the Union. Other people, however, wanted to forgive the South and let the healing of the nation begin.Lincoln's Plan for ReconstructionAbraham Lincoln wanted to be lenient to the South and make it easy for southern states to rejoin the Union. He said that any southerner who took an oath to the Union would be given a pardon. He also said that if 10% of the voters in a state supported the Union, then a state could be readmitted. Under Lincoln's plan, any state that was readmitted must make slavery illegal as part of their constitution.President JohnsonPresident Lincoln was assassinated at the end of the Civil War, however, and never had the chance to implement his Reconstruction plan. When Andrew Johnson became president, he was from the South and wanted to be even more lenient to the Confederate States than Lincoln. Congress, however, disagreed and began to pass harsher laws for the Southern states.Black CodesIn an effort to get around laws passed by Congress, many southern states began to pass Black Codes. These were laws that prevented black people from voting, going to school, owning land, and even getting jobs. These laws caused a lot of conflict between the North and the South as they tried to reunite after the Civil War.New Amendments to the ConstitutionTo help with the Reconstruction and to protect the rights of all people, three amendments were added to the US Constitution:13th Amendment - Outlawed slavery14th Amendment - Said that black people were citizens of the United States and that all people were protected equally by the law.15th Amendment - Gave all male citizens the right to vote regardless of race.Rejoining the UnionNew governments were formed in the South starting in 1865. The first state to be readmitted to the Union was Tennessee in 1866. The last state was Georgia in 1870. As part of being readmitted to the Union, states had to ratify the new amendments to the Constitution.Help from the UnionThe Union did a lot to help the South during the Reconstruction. They rebuilt roads, got farms running again, and built schools for poor and black children. Eventually the economy in the South began to recover.Carpetbaggers Some northerners moved to the South during the Reconstruction to try and make money off of the rebuilding. They were often called carpetbaggers because they sometimes carried their belongings in luggage called carpetbags. The Southerners didn't like that the Northerners were moving in and trying to get rich off of their troubles.The End of the ReconstructionThe Reconstruction officially ended under the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877. He removed the federal troops from the South and the state governments took over. Unfortunately, many of the changes to equal rights were immediately reversed.Interesting Facts about the Reconstruction White Southerners who joined the Republican Party and helped with the Reconstruction were called scalawags.The Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the South into five military districts ran by the army.President Andrew Johnson granted pardons to many Confederate leaders. He also vetoed a number of Reconstruction laws passed by Congress. He vetoed so many laws his nickname became the "Veto President".In order to fight against the Black Codes, the federal government set up Freedman's Bureaus to help black people and to set up schools that black children could attend. 1. What was the purpose of the Reconstruction? To tax the southern states as punishment for the war To help the southern states become a part of the Union again. To keep the southern states from becoming powerful again To rebuild the industry of the northern states To build up the west as a replacement to the south 2. Which of the following was NOT part of the plan that Abraham Lincoln had for Reconstruction? That only 10% of voters in a state had to agree to support the Union That all states had to agree to outlaw slavery That any southerner who took an oath to the Union would be given a pardon That the plantation owners of the South could keep their slaves for five years That the process for rejoining the Union should be easy and lenient 3. Was President Johnson easier or harder on the Southern states and President Lincoln? Easier Harder About the same He had no opinion 4. What were the Black Codes? Laws made by Lincoln to protect former slaves. Codes that black people in the South had to live by or they would lose their freedom. Laws in the South that made it difficult for black people to get jobs, vote, and go to school. Civil Rights laws that made it easier for former slaves to adapt to their new lives. Top secret encoding methods used for messages during the Civil War. 5. Which amendment to the US Constitution outlawed slavery in all of the United States? 13th 14th 19th 15th 21st 6. What did the 15th amendment to the Constitution guarantee? The right for all people to be free from slavery That all men and women were protected equally by the law regardless of race The right to a fair trial The right to free speech The right for all men to vote regardless of race 7. What was the first southern state to be readmitted to the Union? Georgia North Carolina Virginia Tennessee Alabama 8. What year was the last southern state finally readmitted into the Union and the United States was truly united again? 1865 1867 1870 1871 9. Who were carpetbaggers? Southerners who moved to the North to escape the rebuilding Northerners who moved to South to make money off of the Reconstruction Southerners who became republicans Northerners who were against the Civil War Northerners who opened schools to teach black children in the South 10. True or False: When the reconstruction ended, many of the Civil Rights laws were reversed by the new state governments. True False Here is the link to listen to the text below Civil RightsJim Crow LawsWhat were the Jim Crow laws?Jim Crow laws were laws in the South based on race. They enforced segregation between white people and black people in public places such as schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants. They also made it difficult for black people to vote.When were the Jim Crow laws enforced?After the Civil War there was a period in the South called the Reconstruction. During this time the federal government controlled the southern states. However, after the Reconstruction, the state governments took back over. Most Jim Crow laws were put in place in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of them were enforced until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Jim Crow Drinking FountainWhy were they called "Jim Crow"? The name "Jim Crow" comes from an African-American character in a song from 1832. After the song came out, the term "Jim Crow" was often used to refer to African-Americans and soon the segregation laws became known as "Jim Crow" laws.Examples of Jim Crow LawsJim Crow laws were designed to keep black and white people apart. They touched on many aspects of society. Here are a few examples of laws in different states:Alabama - All passenger stations shall have separate waiting rooms and separate ticket windows for the white and colored races.Florida - The schools for white children and the schools for black children shall be conducted separately.Georgia - The officer in charge shall not bury any colored persons upon the ground set apart for the burial of white persons.Mississippi - Prison wardens shall see that the white convicts shall have separate apartments for both eating and sleeping from the negro convicts.There were also laws that tried to prevent black people from voting. These included poll taxes (a fee people had to pay to vote) and reading tests that people had to pass before they could vote.Grandfather Clauses In order to make sure that all white people could vote, many states enacted "grandfather" clauses into their voting laws. These laws stated that if your ancestors could vote before the Civil War, then you did not have to pass the reading test. This allowed for white people who could not read to vote. This is where the term "grandfather clause" comes from.Black CodesAfter the Civil War, many southern states created laws called Black Codes. These laws were even harsher than the Jim Crow laws. They tried to maintain something like slavery in the south even after the war. These laws made it difficult for black people to leave their current jobs and allowed them be arrested for just about any reason. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fourteenth Amendment tried to put an end to the Black Codes.Fighting SegregationAfrican-Americans began to organize, protest, and fight segregation and the Jim Crow laws in the 1900s. In 1954, the Supreme Court said that segregation of the schools was illegal in the famous Brown v. Board of Education case. Later, protests such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham Campaign, and the March on Washington brought the issue of Jim Crow to national attention.The End of Jim Crow Laws Jim Crow laws were made illegal with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.Interesting Facts about Jim Crow Laws The U.S. army was segregated until 1948 when President Harry Truman ordered the armed services desegregated.As many as 6 million African-Americans relocated to the North and West to get away from the Jim Crow laws of the south. This is sometimes called the Great Migration.Not all Jim Crow laws were in the south or were specific to black people. There were other racial laws in other states such as a law in California that made it illegal for people of Chinese ancestry to vote. Another California law made it illegal to sell alcohol to Indians.The phrase "separate but equal" was often used to justify segregation. 11. What was the purpose of the Jim Crow Laws? Segregation To keep black people and white people separate To keep black people from voting All of the above None of the above 12. What was it called when people were charged a fee to vote? Voter registration Poll tax Voter subscription Literacy test Vote price 13. What rule allowed white people who couldn't pass the reading test to vote? Grandfather clause Literacy Act Reading law Pre-war clause Old man law 14. What was it called when millions of African-Americans moved north to get away from the Jim Crow laws? Underground Railroad Big Move Great Migration Freedom March Giant Exodus 15. What areas of society were affected by Jim Crow Laws? Schools Prisons Restaurants Transportation All of the above 16. What laws in the South tried to maintain something like slavery even after the Civil War? New Deal Black codes Intolerable Acts African Acts Slave codes 17. What Supreme Court ruling said that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional? Marbury v. Madison Dred Scott v. Sandford Brown v. Board of Education Plessy v. Ferguson Miranda v. Arizona 18. What president ordered that the army be desegregated? Abraham Lincoln Franklin Roosevelt John F. Kennedy Harry Truman Woodrow Wilson 19. True or False: Not all Jim Crow laws were in the South. True False 20. What law passed in 1964 helped put an end to Jim Crow Laws? Civil Rights Act Thirteenth Amendment Emancipation Proclamation New Deal Social Security Act 21. Governments created by Andrew Johnson consisted mostly of these people Wealthy African Americans Former Slaves Whites Native Americans 22. Black Codes attempted to force freed slaves into working only for White people at very low wages True False 23. Black Americans were still considered slaves in the South during the Reconstruction era. True False 24. If Southern Blacks didn't have 'this' they would be called vagrants (i.e. unemployed beggars), arrested, fined, and could even be auctioned off. Identification Card ("I.D.") Marriage License employment contracts Driver License 25. It was legal for southern Blacks to own their on businesses True False 26. After the Civil War, millions of Black Americans were able to vote for Black legislators. True False 27. "To keep Blacks _, Southern legislators passed, what became known as, _ Laws integrated and equal; Jim Crow separate and powerless; Reconstruction Integrated and equal; Reconstruction separate and powerless; Jim Crow 28. Complete the sentence: The 15th Amendment gave Black men freedom the right to vote equal protection under the law civil rights 29. Which of the following was a loophole that allowed White Americans the right to vote while disenfranchising Black males poll taxes literacy tests grandfather clause mother-in-law clause 30. According to the video, why were the Jim Crow laws so hurtful to Black Americans? They did not help all Black Americans become land owners. They denied the promises and goals of Reconstruction (such as freedom and fairness) to Black Americans. They inspired immigrants to come to America to seek the same fortunes as Black Americans. It provided a way for white Americans to enslave Black Americans again. 31. Why would it be nearly impossible for a newly freed African American to pay a poll tax?