Deck 11: Liberation: African Americans and the Civil War

Question 1

How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the nature of the war?

A) It became a war to free the slaves, giving the North a moral advantage.
B) The South realized it was futile to continue and surrendered their armed forces.
C) The North began to rebel against Lincoln as well.
D) The Emancipation Proclamation had no real effect on the war itself.

Answer 1

It became a war to free the slaves, giving the North a moral advantage.

Question 2

How is the First Confiscation Act of 1861 symbolic of the direction of congressional policies at the start of the Civil War?

A) The act stipulated that all slaves were now free in the South and could enter the Union army.
B) The act held that only slaves in the Border States were now free and could enter the Union army.
C) The act specified that only slaves who benefitted the Confederate war effort would be freed when captured.
D) The act provided that slaves of Confederate military officials were now free.

Answer 2

The act specified that only slaves who benefitted the Confederate war effort would be freed when captured.

Question 3

Consider the excerpt of Paul Lawrence Dunbar's 1895 poem "The Colored Soldiers" that appears at the beginning of Chapter 11.How is the poem reflective of black efforts for the Union during the Civil War?

A) The poem chastises black men for not doing enough during the war since blacks played a minimal role in the conflict
B) The poem condemns black men for fighting for the Confederacy, as most blacks did in the war
C) The poem celebrates the courage of black men to fight for freedom and democracy, as many did during the war
D) The poem largely ignores black men since blacks largely avoided the Civil War.

Answer 3

The poem celebrates the courage of black men to fight for freedom and democracy, as many did during the war

Question 4

Why did Lincoln decide to postpone his July 1862 decision to emancipate the slaves?

A) He was considering changing his mind and allowing the South to keep their slaves.
B) His cabinet told him to wait for a victory so that the decision would not appear desperate.
C) His racist wife and cabinet were attempting to change his mind about emancipation of southern slaves.
D) He wanted to wait until Great Britain entered the war on the side of the Union.

Question 5

What did the First Confiscation Act of 1861 accomplish?

A) It allowed the North to seize any property that belonged to Confederates used in the war effort.
B) It allowed the South to confiscate blacks in service to the Union.
C) It allowed the North to confiscate all slaves in all areas of the Confederacy.
D) It allowed both sides to confiscate the land of their enemies.

Question 6

Why did Lincoln decide to postpone his July 1862 decision to emancipate the slaves?

A) He was considering changing his mind and allowing the South to keep their slaves.
B) His cabinet told him to wait for a victory so that the decision would not appear desperate.
C) His racist wife and cabinet were attempting to change his mind about emancipation of southern slaves.
D) He wanted to wait until Great Britain entered the war on the side of the Union.

Question 7

How did Lincoln's plan of compensated emancipation and colonization affect many white Americans' view of the war?

A) They felt that Lincoln was using this plan to provide black soldiers for the Union army.
B) White abolitionists thought the plan would bring about a Union victory.
C) Most of them, including an increasing number of Democrats, became convinced of the justness of the war.
D) They realized the war would be linked to the issue of slavery.

Question 8

How did Lincoln react to the actions of generals John C.Fremont and David Hunter,who ordered all slaves in their areas freed under the First Confiscation Act?

A) He generally ignored their actions.
B) He immediately countermanded their orders and told them to follow the law.
C) He officially approved of their actions, sending them medals for their efforts.
D) He privately approved, but required them to return slaves to their masters.

Question 9

What is the message of the painting that depicts President Lincoln with a black family in front of the White House?

A) that Lincoln is a racist
B) that Lincoln wanted to continue slavery
C) that Lincoln was sympathetic to blacks
D) that Lincoln wanted to surrender the armed forces of the United States

Question 10

How did antislavery advocates react to Lincoln's plan to abolish slavery by compensating owners?

A) They preferred immediate abolition but thought his idea was a good compromise because it would free the slaves.
B) They approved of his idea because they had forced him to act in their favor.
C) They were never informed of the idea and therefore had little reaction.
D) They were against the idea because it recognized slaves as property, rather than as human beings.

Question 11

How were the requests made by free black men in Philadelphia to the federal government in 1861 reflective of black attitudes at the start of the Civil War?

A) Blacks petitioned the government to form a new colony of African Americans in Canada as an example of black initiative.
B) Blacks wanted to form a segregated army unit with lower pay until they could prove themselves fit for full equality with whites, reflecting their desire for gradual emancipation.
C) Blacks wanted to form a mission in Liberia to minister to Africans now that slavery would soon end in the U.S., indicating their continued belief in colonization.
D) Black men volunteered to infiltrate the South and burn plantations because they realized that the future of slavery was tied to the outcome of the war.

Question 12

What were the terms of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation?

A) It would keep blacks in slavery in areas under rebellion on January 1, 1863.
B) It gave the Confederacy until January 1, 1863, to come back into the Union.
C) If the Confederacy returned to the Union by January 1, 1865, they could keep their slaves.
D) It allowed slaves to leave the country to obtain their freedom if they wished.

Question 13

What was Lincoln's initial aim regarding the Civil War when it began in 1861?

A) to free the slaves and allow the nation to separate peacefully
B) to preserve the Union without ending slavery
C) to preserve the Union and free the slaves
D) Lincoln was completely surprised by the South's secession; he had no initial aims

Question 14

Other than outright racism,why did many white working-class people oppose the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation?

A) They feared that it would lead to social and political rights for blacks.
B) They feared that blacks would rush into the North and compete with them for jobs.
C) All northerners actually approved of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
D) They thought that it would make southerners act more harshly toward their slaves.

Question 15

How is Lincoln's attitude towards the Border States related to his approach to the Civil War?

A) He wanted to immediately invade the Border States and subdue them military before they joined the Confederacy.
B) He wanted to immediately free all of the slaves in the Border States to intimidate all southern whites into abiding by federal law.
C) He ignored the Border States during the entire war because the real fight was in the Deep South.
D) He wanted to ban slavery in the Border States with slave owner approval and persuade the states to remain in the Union

Question 16

Examine the photograph of African-American troops who served as teamsters in for the Union army in Virginia.What aspect of the photograph indicates that the teamsters are part of the Union Army?

A) They stand in front of the camera.
B) They are all black men.
C) They have wagons behind them.
D) They wear Union Army hats and uniforms.

Question 17

What did Abraham Lincoln initially think was the appropriate long-term solution to slavery?

A) Lincoln thought that slaves should be freed immediately, without compensation.
B) Lincoln thought no slaves should be freed, since that would damage property rights.
C) Lincoln wanted to compensate masters for their slaves and then send the slaves out of the United States.
D) Lincoln believed that slaves should be moved to the West, so that they could be used in building railroads.

Question 18

What did the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation accomplish in 1862?

A) It freed all the slaves in the United States.
B) It freed no one during that year at all.
C) It appeased white southerners.
D) It freed some slaves in 1862, immediately after it was issued, and the rest in 1863.

Question 19

How were black volunteers greeted by the United States government in 1861?

A) The government eagerly integrated its military and allowed blacks to serve immediately.
B) The government accepted the early volunteers but only with great reluctance.
C) The government immediately sent them into the South to serve as unofficial spies.
D) The government refused to enlist them.

Question 20

How did black interpretations of the war and its connection to slavery compare to white northerner sentiment on the same subject?

A) Blacks did not see the war as necessary to wage compared to northern whites.
B) Blacks failed to understand the profound connections between the war and the expansion of slavery while northern whites quickly understood it.
C) Blacks rejected Lincoln's use of force against southern white resistance to federal law while northern whites eagerly embraced it.
D) Blacks compared to northern whites understood early in the war that the fate of slavery was connected to the war's outcome.

Question 21

Why did the federal government photograph Jackson,a slave boy,in two images,and stand them side by side?

A) to emphasize the physically small stature of black troops as a result of slavery
B) to justify the continuation of slavery
C) to inspire white troops to continue fighting
D) to serve as propaganda to enlist more blacks

Question 22

How was the 54th Massachusetts different from the South Carolina regiments?

A) The 54th was commanded by a black man.
B) The 54th was composed mainly of free blacks, rather than slaves.
C) The 54th included only black men from Massachusetts.
D) Because work for the 54th was so dangerous, they received more pay than the average white soldier.

Question 23

What was one result of the assault on Battery Wagner in July of 1863?

A) The black soldiers fought but ran away when they heard the cannons.
B) The first black man received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
C) The Union won the battle.
D) The assault ended before it began, as the Union forces discovered a spy in their midst.

Question 24

How did the men of the 54th Massachusetts protest race discrimination?

A) They went on a hunger strike to protest unequal treatment.
B) They had the first sit-in, at the White House, and were arrested.
C) They said they would accept no pay unless it was equal to white men's pay.
D) The 54th Massachusetts men made no protest against race discrimination.

Question 25

How did southerners react to black troops fighting for the Union?

A) They generally refused to recognize them as prisoners of war and instead attempted to treat them like escaped slaves.
B) They treated them as they did the other white Union prisoners, infuriating Lincoln, who wanted the prisoners kept separate.
C) They attempted to persuade them to become slaves and fight for the Confederate cause.
D) They immediately hanged every black soldier they caught.

Question 26

Examine the image of the Emancipation Proclamation that appears in Chapter 11.Why are American flags and other symbols of the U.S.surrounding the document?

A) to call attention to the treasonous actions of President Lincoln during the war
B) to celebrate the southern causes of fighting the war
C) to reject the contributions of blacks to the Union war effort
D) to celebrate the contributions of President Lincoln for democracy and justice

Question 27

What eventually happened to the First South Carolina Volunteers?

A) They were mostly disbanded at the start of the war but were later regrouped and inducted into the U.S.Army.
B) They won the assault on Fort Wagner for the North and received medals of honor from the federal government.
C) They were all killed in the Battle of Bull Run.
D) They mutinied, protesting against poor treatment in the military.

Question 28

How did the Emancipation Proclamation impact the South?

A) It caused fewer slaves to run away from their masters, as they knew they would soon have complete equality with whites.
B) It destroyed any chance that Britain or France would offer diplomatic recognition to the Confederate government.
C) It caused slave owners to improve working conditions on the plantations so slaves would not leave even after they gained their freedom.
D) It strengthened the South's ability to fight the war.

Question 29

What was General Order 11?

A) an order issued by Grant, freeing all slaves in South Carolina
B) an order issued by Lincoln, freeing all slaves in the United States
C) an order issued by Lincoln, threatening retaliation for the mistreatment of black soldiers by Confederate forces
D) an order issued by Lee, threatening to kill all black prisoners of war held by the South

Question 30

Examine Map 11-1.In addition to the border states,what area did the Emancipation Proclamation affect?

A) Texas
B) the western part of Virginia
C) most of California
D) most of Oregon

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true about black military service during the Civil War?

A) Occasionally, black men served in integrated units in the army.
B) White officers were often ready to command black troops because they received more pay to do so.
C) Black soldiers were paid less because whites thought they would be used only for menial work.
D) Blacks were used only as combat troops, since that was more dangerous.

Question 32

What radical idea did Thomas Higginson hold as commander of the First South Carolina Volunteers?

A) He wanted to destroy southern blacks for helping the Confederacy.
B) He thought that blacks should be sent to Africa rather than stay in the United States.
C) He not only wanted to abolish slavery but to show that blacks and whites were equal.
D) He wanted to join southern forces to fight for the continued enslavement of blacks.

Question 33

How are black women portrayed in the image of the Confederate assault on Fort Pillow?

A) as accomplices to the murder of Confederate troops
B) as accomplices to the murder of Union white and black troops
C) as completely passive actors in the event
D) as victims and resistors of the white Confederate attack

Question 34

How were the experiences of blacks in the Union navy atypical of black military service in general during the Civil War?

A) Blacks were denied service in the Union navy.
B) Blacks were allowed to be officers in the Union navy.
C) Backs in the navy received higher pay than blacks in the army.
D) Blacks served on integrated ships.

Question 35

What theme is the artist providing in the painting of the Union assault in 1862 on Battery Wagner in Charleston harbor?

A) that black troops were cowards and refused to fight against the Confederacy
B) that white officers were inept and poor military leaders
C) that the Confederacy would win the battle and the war
D) that black troops and their white officers were courageous and sacrificial

Question 36

How do blacks and whites interact in the image of the Confederate assault on Fort Pillow?

A) Black soldiers attack white civilians and attempt to massacre them.
B) Black civilians assist black troops in executing white Confederate troops who are attempting to surrender their weapons.
C) Both groups are peacefully setting aside their political differences in order to stop the war.
D) White Confederate troops massacre innocent blacks and defenseless black and white Union troops.

Question 37

What was "the crater" in Petersburg,Virginia?

A) a prison for black soldiers
B) a hiding place for slaves waiting for Union help
C) a large hole in the ground from an explosion, part of an unsuccessful effort by the Union to win a battle over the Confederates
D) a huge impression made by a falling meteorite, seen by Confederate troops as an omen against the Union's attempt to free the slaves

Question 38

How might northern whites have interpreted the photograph of black Union soldiers "poised with their rifles" firing on the opposition?

A) that blacks were physically and mentally weak
B) that blacks were traitors
C) that blacks were cowards and malingerers
D) that blacks were fit for military service

Question 39

Who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia,the main Confederate Army?

A) Robert E.Lee
B) Ulysses S.Grant
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) John C.Fremont

Question 40

How were the experiences of blacks in the Union navy typical of black military service in general during the Civil War?

A) They were allowed to become officers.
B) They received many official commendations for bravery.
C) They suffered exploitation and were paid less than whites.
D) They served in integrated units.

Question 41

What happened during the New York City Draft Riot of 1863?

A) New Yorkers, angry about the mistreatment of slaves, amassed to join the army.
B) Working-class Irishmen, angry over suspected black attempts to take jobs, rioted against blacks and the government.
C) After police beat and arrested several prominent blacks, the black community responded with violence and destruction of the city.
D) Southerners infiltrated New York and began the draft riot to confuse northern troops.

Question 42

At the start of the war,General Winfield Scott,the Union army's chief of staff,lobbied to allow Confederate slave owners to recover slaves who crossed the Potomac River.

Question 43

What is the connection between the labor movement and the New York City Draft riots of 1863?

A) The Irish and African-American working class served in the same unions and fought against the federal government together during the riots.
B) African Americans would not allow the Irish into their unions, starting the riot.
C) The Irish wanted blacks to join their union but blacks refused, sparking the riot.
D) Black stevedores had replaced striking Irish stevedores, angering the Irish.

Question 44

Without emancipation, the United States would not have survived as a unified nation

Question 45

Which of the following statements is true about black service in the Navy?

A) Blacks in the navy rarely performed menial tasks, and they frequently received promotions to officer status.
B) Blacks had a tradition of continuously serving in the navy in substantial numbers.
C) Blacks in the army suffered from less discrimination than in the navy.
D) Blacks in the navy served for long periods of time on land during the war.

Question 46

What did Robert E.Lee think about enlisting blacks in the military?

A) He thought that it was a very poor idea because no slave would support the Confederacy.
B) He refused to hear any arguments about it.
C) He favored it because as slaves, blacks were accustomed to obedience and discipline.
D) No southerner ever thought about enlisting blacks in the military.

Question 47

Black people recognized long before most white northerners that the fate of the Union was inextricably tied to the issue of slavery.

Question 48

What policy did General Patrick Cleburne recommend?

A) putting all slaves in prison until after the war
B) freeing slaves for their military service, if they were loyal to the Confederacy
C) surrendering to the North in exchange for keeping their slaves
D) the wholesale slaughter of black soldiers and runaway slaves

Question 49

The disastrous events surrounding the event known as "the crater" illustrate the hesitancy of Union commanders to commit black troops to combat.

Question 50

Which event prompted Confederate military leaders to consider enlisting black men?

A) the possibility of gaining British aid or recognition
B) ineffective Union military efforts, especially the naval blockade
C) terrible losses of manpower at several battles
D) President Jefferson Davis's proclamation stating that blacks were equal to whites

Question 51

The Emancipation Proclamation increased the chance that Britain or France would offer diplomatic recognition to the Confederate government.

Question 52

The battle at Honey Springs in Indian Territory in 1863 is an example of the unsuccessful use of black men in the Union army during the Civil War.

Question 53

To many white Americans,Lincoln's support for compensated emancipation and colonization was a misguided attempt to link the war to the issue of slavery.

Question 54

In 1863 the government tried to settle 453 black American colonists at Ile à Vache, an island near Haiti.

Question 55

How did the Union treat southern blacks during the war?

A) Union soldiers were always more humane than southern soldiers toward blacks.
B) Union soldiers refused to accept blacks into their care.
C) Union soldiers circulated rumors of black threats of violence and arson, justifying placing them under arrest.
D) Like urban whites, Union soldiers often engaged in acts of enormous brutality, including rape and murder.

Question 56

What did Harriet Tubman and Mary Elizabeth Bowser share in common about their activities during the Civil War?

A) Both women led helpful spying efforts for the Union.
B) Both women were influential writers for the Union cause.
C) Both women supported the Confederacy.
D) Both women were early women's rights activists.

Question 57

What was the relationship between black women and Union military during the Civil War?

A) The Union ignored entirely the interest of black women in contributing to the war effort.
B) Black women served as cooks and nurses but did nothing behind enemy lines in the South.
C) Black women served as spies, liberators, and guides for the Union and other blacks.
D) Black women helped the Union as slaves but not as free women.

Question 58

What main agricultural product were black slaves expected to cultivate to contribute to the southern war machine?

A) hemp
B) tobacco
C) flax
D) cotton

Question 59

On May 9,1862,General David Hunter ordered slavery abolished in South Carolina,Georgia,and Florida.

Question 60

Ulysses S.Grant served as the influential editor of the New York Tribune during the Civil War.

Question 61

In addition to fighting,what other roles did blacks take on during the war? What does this tell us about the challenges experienced by blacks during the war?

Question 62

How and why did Lincoln's views toward emancipation change over time?

Question 63

The Confederacy relied upon the policy of __________ to obtain slaves for military work purposes.

Question 64

Nathan Bedford __________ was the Confederate officer in charge of the Fort Pillow massacre.

Question 65

The Union's indecisive victory at __________ preceded Lincoln's issuing the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Question 66

The concept of slaves as "__________," or "enemy property," was first implemented during the war by Benjamin Butler.

Question 67

The concept of __________ black men by the end of the war became a policy favored by southern newspapers but never fully implemented by the Confederacy.

Question 68

The escaped slave __________ is an example of a black woman who worked as a Union spy during the Civil War.

Question 69

What was Lincoln's aim during the early stages of the war? Why did he create specific wartime policies?

Question 70

What were the limits of the Emancipation Proclamation as finally signed?

Question 71

Why did the North decide to enlist black men to fight for the Union?

Question 72

The black rejection of __________ during the war exemplifies the full-blown American identity felt by African Americans during the Civil War era.

Question 73

How and why did black reaction to Lincoln change over time?

Question 74

How did generals Fremont and Hunter interpret the First Confiscation Act? How did Lincoln? Why was there a difference?

Question 75

The __________ 54?? regiment was involved in the assault on Battery Wagner in July of 1863.

Question 76

The battle of __________ in Pennsylvania in 1863 was a turning point in the war.

Question 77

What types of discrimination did blacks face in the Union military? How were their conditions different compared to whites' conditions?

Question 78

The unofficial black think tank,known as the __________ __________,consisted of Frederick Douglass,Martin Delany,James Redmond,and Henry Highland Garnet.

Question 79

What policy did General Patrick Cleburne recommend regarding blacks in the Confederacy? Why was this recommendation ironic? What was the outcome of his recommendation? What does this tell you about the South at that time?

Question 80

What types of reactions did the South have to black soldiers fighting for the Union? Why did the South react in particular ways to black troops?