Questions & Answers: U. S. History - Civil War and Reconstruction

Name some well-known abolitionist groups.

1. American Colonization Society—protestant churches formed this group, aimed at returning black slaves to Africa. Former slaves subsequently formed Liberia, but the colony did not do well, as the region was not well-suited for agriculture.
2. American Anti-Slavery Society—William Lloyd Garrison, a Quaker, was the major force behind this group and its newspaper, The Liberator.
3. Female Anti-Slavery Society—a women-only group formed by Margaretta Forten because women were not allowed to join the Anti-Slavery Society formed by her father.
4. Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women—This group continued meeting even after pro-slavery factions burned down their original meeting place.
5. Female Vigilant Society—an organization that raised funds to help the Underground Railroad, as well as slave refugees.

Review the different ideas and values between the North and the South in the 1800s.
The conflict between North and South coalesced around the issue of slavery, but other elements contributed to the growing disagreement. Though most farmers in the South worked small farms with little or no slave labor, the huge plantations run by the South’s rich depended on slaves or indentured servants to remain profitable. They had also become more dependent on cotton, with slave populations growing in concert with the rapid increase in cotton production.
In the North, a more diverse agricultural economy and the growth of industry made slaves rarer. The abolitionist movement grew steadily, with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin giving many an idea to rally around. A collection of anti-slavery organizations formed, with many actively working to free slaves in the South, often bringing them North.

Review the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
In addition to the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, a third group rose who felt that each individual state should decide whether to allow or permit slavery within its borders. This idea was referred to as popular sovereignty. When California applied to join the union in 1849, the balance of congressional power was again threatened. The Compromise of 1850 introduced a group of laws meant to bring an end to the conflict. These laws included:
· California being admitted as a free state.
· Slave trade in Washington, D.C. being outlawed.
· An increase in efforts to capture escaped slaves.
· New Mexico and Utah territories would decide individually whether or not to allow slavery.
In spite of these measures, debate raged each time a new state prepared to enter the union.
With the creation of the Kansas and Nebraska territories in 1854, another debate began. Congress allowed popular sovereignty in these territories, but slavery opponents argued that the Missouri Compromise had already made slavery illegal in this region. In Kansas, two separate governments arose, one pro- and one anti-slavery. Conflict between the two factions rose to violence, leading Kansas to gain the nickname of “Bleeding Kansas.”

Explain the Missouri Compromise.
By 1819, the United States had developed a tenuous balance between slave and free states, with exactly twenty-two senators in Congress from each faction. However, Missouri was ready to join the union as a state. As a slave state, it would tip the balance in Congress. To prevent this imbalance, the Missouri Compromise brought the northern part of Massachusetts into the union as Maine, established as a free state. Maine’s admission balanced the admission of Missouri as a slave state, maintaining the status quo. In addition, the remaining portion of the Louisiana Purchase was to remain free north of latitude 36° 30’. Since cotton did not grow well this far north, this limitation was acceptable to congressmen representing the slave states.
However, the proposed Missouri constitution presented a problem, as it outlawed immigration of free blacks into the state. Another compromise was in order, this time proposed by Henry Clay. Clay earned his title of the Great Compromiser by stating that the U.S. Constitution overruled Missouri’s.

Review John Brown and his work at Harper’s Ferry.
John Brown, an abolitionist, had participated in several anti-slavery actions, including killing five pro-slavery men in retaliation, after Lawrence, Kansas, an anti-slavery town, was sacked. He and other abolitionists also banded together to pool their funds and build a runaway slave colony.
In 1859, Brown seized a federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, located in what is now West Virginia. Brown intended to seize guns and ammunition and lead a slave rebellion. Robert E. Lee captured Brown and 22 followers, who were subsequently tried and hanged. While Northerners took the executions as an indication that the government supported slavery, Southerners were of the opinion that most of the North supported Brown and were, in general, anti-slavery.

Explain the Dred Scott decision.
Abolitionist factions coalesced around the case of Dred Scott, using his case to test the country’s laws regarding slavery. Scott, a slave, had been taken by his owner from Missouri, which was a slave state. He then traveled to Illinois, a free state, then on to the Minnesota Territory, also free based on the Missouri Compromise. Then, he returned to Missouri. The owner subsequently died. Abolitionists took Scott’s case to court, stating that Scott was no longer a slave but free, since he had lived in free territory. The case went to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court stated that, because Scott, as a slave, was not a U.S. citizen, his time in free states did not change his status. He also did not have the right to sue. In addition, the Court determined that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, saying Congress had overstepped its bounds by outlawing slavery in the territories.

Explain the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln in 1863, freed all slaves in Confederate States that did not return to the Union by the beginning of the year. While the original proclamation did not free any slaves actually under Union control, it did set a precedent for the emancipation of slaves as the war progressed.
The Emancipation Proclamation worked in the Union’s favor as many freed slaves and other black troops joined the Union Army. Almost 200,000 blacks fought in the Union army, and over 10,000 served in the navy. By the end of the war, over 4 million slaves had been freed, and in 1865 slavery was banned by Constitutional amendment.

Review the Presidential Election of 1860.
The 1860 Presidential candidates represented four different parties, each with a different opinion on slavery.
· John Breckenridge, representing the Southern Democrats, was pro-slavery.
· Abraham Lincoln, of the Republican Party, was anti-slavery.
· Stephen Douglas, of the Northern Democrats, felt that the issue should be determined locally, on a state-by-state basis.
· John Bell, of the Constitutional Union Party, focused primarily on keeping the Union intact.
In the end, Abraham Lincoln won both the popular and electoral election. Southern states, who had sworn to secede from the Union if Lincoln was elected did so, led by South Carolina. Shortly thereafter, the Civil War began when shots were fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston.

Review the Battle of Bull Run, the Capture of Fort Henry, and the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. The First Battle of Bull Run, was the first major land battle of the war. Observers, expecting to enjoy an entertaining skirmish, set up picnics nearby. Instead, they found themselves witness to a bloodbath. Union forces were defeated, and the battle set the course of the Civil War as long, bloody and costly.
The Capture of Fort Henry by Ulysses S. Grant. This battle in February of 1862 marked the Union’s first major victory.
The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. Often seen as the turning point of the war, Gettysburg also saw the largest number of casualties of the war, with over 50,000 dead. Robert E. Lee was defeated, and the Confederate army, significantly crippled, withdrew.

Explain the advantages of the North and the South in the Civil War.
The Northern states had significant advantages, including:

1. Larger population. The North consisted of 24 states to the South’s 11.

2. Better transportation and finances. With railroads primarily in the North, supply chains were much more dependable, as was trade coming from overseas.

3. More raw materials. The North held the majority of America’s gold, as well as iron, copper and other minerals vital to wartime.
The South’s advantages included:

1. Better-trained military officers. Many of the Southern officers were West Point trained and had commanded in the Mexican and Indian wars.

2. More familiar with weapons. The climate and lifestyle of the South meant most of the people were well versed in both guns and horses. The industrial North had less extensive experience

3. Defensive position. The South felt victory was guaranteed, since they were protecting their own lands, while the North would be invading.

4. Well-defined goals. The South was fighting a war to be allowed to govern themselves and preserve their way of life.

Review President Lincoln’s assassination.
The Civil War ended with the surrender of the South on April 9, 1865. Five days later, Lincoln and his wife, Mary, attended the play Our American Cousin at the Ford Theater. John Wilkes Booth, unaware that the war was over, performed his part in a conspiracy to aid the Confederacy by shooting Lincoln in the back of the head. Booth was tracked down and killed by Union soldiers 12 days later. Lincoln, carried from the theater to a nearby house, died the next morning.

Explain the importance of the Overland Campaign, Sherman’s March, and General Lee’s surrender.
The Overland Campaign, 1864. Grant, now in command of all the Union armies, led this high casualty campaign that eventually positioned the Union for victory.
Sherman’s March to the Sea. William Tecumseh Sherman, in May of 1864, conquered Atlanta. He then continued to Savannah, destroying indiscriminately as he went.
Following Lee’s defeat at the Appomattox Courthouse, General Grant accepted Lee’s surrender in the home of Wilmer McLean, Appomattox, Virginia on April 9, 1865.

Explain the reason and the purpose of the Reconstruction Acts.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the South was left in chaos. From 1865 to 1877, government on all levels worked to help restore order to the South, ensure civil rights to the freed slaves, and bring the Confederate states back into the Union. In 1866, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, putting former Confederate states under military rule.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was formed to help freedmen and give assistance to whites in the South who needed basic necessities like food and clothing. Many in the South felt the Freedmen’s Bureau worked to set freed slaves against their former owners. The Bureau was intended to help former slaves become self-sufficient, and to keep them from falling prey to those who would take advantage of them.

Explain the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
The Thirteenth Amendment was passed on December 18, 1865. This amendment prohibited slavery in the United States.
The Fourteenth Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision, and was ratified July 9, 1868. American citizenship was redefined, with all citizens guaranteed equal legal protection by all states. It also guaranteed citizens the right to file a lawsuit or serve on a jury.
The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified February 3, 1870. It states that no citizen of the United States can be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous status as a slave.

Compare the policies of the Radical and Moderate Republicans.
The Radical Republicans wished to treat the South quite harshly after the war. Thaddeus Stephens, the House Leader, suggested that the Confederate States be treated as if they were territories again, with ten years of military rule and territorial government before they would be readmitted. They also wanted to give all black men the right to vote. Former Confederate soldiers would be required to swear they had not fought against the Union in order to be granted full rights as American citizens.
By contrast, the moderate Republicans wanted only black men who were literate or who had served as Union troops to be able to vote. All Confederate soldiers except troop leaders would also be able to vote. Before his death, Lincoln had favored a more moderate approach to Reconstruction, hoping this approach might bring some states back into the Union before the end of the war.

What were the three phases to Reconstruction?
Presidential Reconstruction – largely driven by President Andrew Johnson’s policies, the Presidential phase of Reconstruction was lenient on the South and allowed continued discrimination against and control over blacks.
Congressional Reconstruction – Congress, controlled largely by Radical Republicans, took a different stance, providing a wider range of civil rights for blacks and greater control over Southern government. Congressional Reconstruction is marked by military control of the former Confederate States.
Redemption – Gradually, the Confederate states were readmitted into the union. During this time, white Democrats took over the government of most of the South. Troops finally departed the South in 1877.

Explain scalawags and carpetbaggers.
The chaos in the south attracted a number of people seeking to fill the power vacuums and take advantage of the economic disruption.
Scalawags were southern Whites who aligned with Freedmen to take over local governments. Many in the South who could have filled political offices refused to take the necessary oath required to grant them the right to vote, leaving many opportunities for Scalawags and others.
Carpetbaggers were northerners who traveled to the South for various reasons. Some provided assistance, while others sought to make money or to acquire political power during this chaotic period.

Explain the Black Codes.
The Black Codes were proposed to control freed slaves. They would not be allowed to bear arms, assemble, serve on juries, or testify against whites. Schools would be segregated, and unemployed blacks could be arrested and forced to work.
The Civil Rights bill countered these codes, providing much wider rights for the freed slaves.
Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln’s death, supported the Black Codes, and vetoed the Civil Rights bill. Congress overrode his veto and impeached Johnson, the culmination of tensions between Congress and the president. He came within a single vote of being convicted.