“Reconstructing the Nation 1863-1877” Outline

I. Rehearsal for National Reconstruction (The Problems of Peacemaking) 1863-1865 a. What did Southern whites want following the Civil War? (2)

b. What were the different groups within white Southern society? (2)

i. What were the different groups within Northern white society? (2)

c. What did Southern blacks want? (2-3)

d. What was the Freedman’s Bureau set up to do in 1864? (3)

i. Why is this significant? (3)

e. What problems did Reconstruction create for the Republican Party? (3)

i. How had the Republican Party split during the Civil War? (3)

f. What side did Lincoln take with regard to the factional dispute within the Republican Party? (3)

i. Why did he take this position? (3-4)

g. When was the Emancipation Proclamation issued? (4)

i. Why was it issued then? (4)

h. What was Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan? (4) i. Why was it so lenient toward the South? (4)

i. How did Radical Republicans respond to Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan? (5)

j. What was the Wade Davis Bill? (5)

i. How was it similar to Lincoln’s proposal? (5)

k. How did Lincoln respond to the Wade Davis Bill? (5)

i. Why did he respond this way? (5)

l. How and when was Lincoln assassinated? (5-6)

m. What impact did the assassination of Lincoln have on Northerners in general? (6)

i. How did Radical Republicans exploit the circumstances of his death? (6)

ii. Why did Lincoln’s death eliminate all hopes of compromise over Reconstruction? (6)

II. Andrew Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction 1865-1867 a. Who was Andrew Johnson?

i. Why did Lincoln make him vice-president?

ii. What was his attitude toward the South?

b. What was Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plan called? (7) i. Under what conditions could southern states return to the Union in Johnson’s plan? (7)

c. Why did most Northerners reject Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction Plan? (8)

i. How did Johnson’s Restoration policy affect the Republican Party? (8)

d. What were the Black Codes? (8)

i. How did Republicans feel about them? (8)

e. What did Congress do about the Black Codes? (8-9)

i. What did Johnson do about these acts? (9)

1. What did Congress do about Johnson’s veto? (9)

f. What was the 14th amendment? (9)

i. What did it guarantee? (9)

ii. What did it forbid? (9)

g. Who won the 1866 mid-term Congressional elections? (10)

i. How did they interpret this victory? (10) III. “Radical” Congressional Reconstruction 1867-1874 a. What was the 1867 Congressional Reconstruction Plan? (10)

i. Why did the South resist Radical Reconstruction? (11)

1. How did white Southerners resist African American gains during this period?

a. What did Congress do about this in 1870 and 1871?

THEY BANNED THE KKK BY PASSING THE FORCE ACTS OF 1870 AND 1871 TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF FEDERAL TROOPS TO BREAK IT UP.

b. What was the 15th amendment? (11)

i. Why was it proposed? (11)

c. What did the Republicans do to keep President Johnson from interfering with their agenda? (11-12)

d. How did the Radical Republicans try to impeach President Johnson? (12)

i. What was their real reason for doing this? (12)

1. Why did this fail? (12)

IV. The South in Reconstruction 1867-1874 a. How did the majority of white southerners feel about the new governments that were set up across the South? (12)

i. What kept the new southern governments together? (12)

1. What kind of white people ran the new southern governments? (12)

2. What did African Americans accomplish politically during Reconstruction? (13) ii. What was the main Southern Democratic criticism of the new southern governments? (13)

1. Was this true? (13)

iii. What was the greatest accomplishment of the new southern governments under Radical Reconstruction? (13)

b. What was the most ambitious goal of the Freedmen’s Bureau? (13)

i. Who had initially ordered this?

ii. Did it succeed? (13)

c. What kind of work did most freedmen end up doing? (13)

i. How did this system work? (13)

1. What did this system end up becoming?

V. The North in Reconstruction 1867-1874 a. Who won the presidential election of 1868? (14)

i. What was surprising about his victory? (14)

b. Who did Grant turn to ensure his victory? (14)

i. What did these people expect from him? (15)

c. What famous political cartoonist criticized the political bosses who had supported Grant? (15) d. Why did some Republicans oppose Grant? (15)

i. How did they believe the government should award federal jobs? (15)

ii. What did they do in the election of 1872? (15)

e. Who ran in the election of 1872? (15)

i. Who won the election? (16) f. What problems did Grant have to deal with in his second term? (16)

i. What were the main scandals Grant had to face? (16)

1. Why were these scandals significant? (16)

ii. What was the main financial crisis Grant had to deal with in his second term? (16)

1. How was this crisis different from previous ones? (16-17)

a. Why did it affect more people than previous panics? (17)

2. What did workers, farmers, and debtors want the government to do to help them? (17)

a. What did Congress initially do about this? (18)

i. What did Grant do about Congress’ actions? (18)

1. Why did he do this? (18) b. What was the Coinage Act of 1873? (18)

i. What did debtors call it? (18)

3. What was the Greenback Party? (18)

a. Who organized it? (18)

4. What was the Specie Resumption Act? (19)

a. Why was this act a victory for creditors? (19)

5. What happened to the National Greenback forces by the 1880s? (19)

iii. What did Secretary of State William Seward accomplish under Andrew Johnson? (20)

1. How did critics see this purchase? (20)

iv. Who was Hamilton Fish? (20)

1. What did he accomplish under Grant? (20)

VI. National Reconstruction -- Both Presidential and Congressional – Begins to Wane 1870-1876 a. Why did Northern support for Southern Reconstruction begin to wane in 1870? (20-21)

b. Why did Grant support Radical Reconstruction? (21)

i. What was the ultimate consequence of this? (21)

c. What did white southerners mean when they talked about “redemption” during this time? (21) i. How did white southerners attain “redemption”? (21)

d. Why did white Republicans allow white southerners to dismantle Reconstruction? (21-22)

i. What was the problem with this logic? (22)

VII. Redemption and After, 1876-1877 a. What was the nation celebrating in the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876? (23)

i. Why was this ironic in the South? (23)

ii. Why was this ironic in the West? (23)

iii. Why was this ironic for the nation as a whole? (23)

b. Who were the candidates in the election of 1876? (23)

i. Who won the popular vote? (23)

1. Why was this election contested? (23)

2. How did Congress try to settle the issue? (23)

a. Why did their solution enrage Democrats? (23)

ii. Why did Democrats ultimately accept a Republican as president? (24)

1. What was this solution known as?

c. Why is Reconstruction seen as a tragic period? (24)

d. What three trends prevented Reconstruction from succeeding? (24)

e. What did African Americans gain out of Reconstruction? (25)