Question 1

The chapter introduction tells the story of Benjamin Montgomery to make the point that
A) former slaves who really tried could achieve a measure of prosperity in the postwar South.
B) Reconstruction clearly hinged on northern rather than southern actions after the war.
C) Reconstruction was an impossible task, for neither northerners nor southerners wanted African Americans to gain political and economic opportunity.
D) for former slaves to attain meaningful lives as free citizens, they would need economic power, which in turn required political power.

Accepted Answer

The story of Benjamin Montgomery illustrates that for former slaves to achieve meaningful freedom, they needed economic power, which was closely tied to having political power.

Question 2

According to your text, what two issues lay at the heart of Reconstruction?
A) whether the federal or state government was ultimately sovereign, and whether African Americans or Native Americans were the most oppressed minority group
B) which party would gain the ascendancy, and how the government could regulate the economy
C) the future of political and economic power for African Americans, and the future of North-South economic and political relations
D) rebuilding the North's shattered economy, and restoring the South's shattered society

Accepted Answer

The heart of Reconstruction involved addressing the future of political and economic power for African Americans and redefining North-South economic and political relations after the Civil War.

Question 3

During the war, congressional leaders felt that Lincoln's plan ________, so they passed ________.
A) would cost them votes in the North; a program designed to attract white support in the South
B) ignored the reality of slavery; the Thirteenth Amendment over the president's objections
C) was too lenient; the more stringent Wade-Davis bill, which Lincoln pocket-vetoed
D) was acceptable; its essential provisions, but shifted primary responsibility to Congress

Accepted Answer

Congressional leaders believed Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction was too lenient on the Southern states, so they passed the Wade-Davis Bill, which imposed stricter requirements for re-admittance to the Union. Lincoln ultimately pocket-vetoed this bill.

Question 4

The Radical Republicans in Congress approached Reconstruction with the conviction that
A) to heal the nation, the South should be treated with generosity and compassion.
B) to avoid any recurrence of southern resistance, the power of the planter class should be restored, with full land ownership.
C) to complete the task of the war, slavery must be totally and irrevocably abolished.
D) to keep faith with the antislavery crusade, the rights of freedmen must include rights for white and black women.

Accepted Answer

The Radical Republicans believed that slavery must be completely abolished to ensure the goals of the Civil War were fully realized. They sought to transform Southern society and ensure civil rights for freedmen.

Question 5

Under new president Andrew Johnson, presidential Reconstruction
A) would implement a harsher program on the South than Lincoln had called for.
B) adhered substantially to the views of congressional leaders.
C) made it possible for former high-ranking Confederates to assume positions of power in the reconstructed southern governments.
D) was never implemented, because Congress passed its own program before Johnson's could go into effect.

Accepted Answer

Under Andrew Johnson's presidential Reconstruction, former high-ranking Confederates were allowed to regain power in the southern governments, as Johnson was lenient and issued many pardons.

Question 6

Which of the following is true about the Radical-dominated Reconstruction Congress?
A) The central focus of its program was to protect the land rights of blacks.
B) It sought to build Republican Party support in the South by winning the black vote and curtailing the power of the planter class.
C) Its influence grew when Johnson's vetoes drove moderates into the Democratic Party.
D) Its influence waned when northern voters repudiated Radical congressmen at the polls in 1866.

Accepted Answer

The Radical-dominated Reconstruction Congress aimed to secure rights for freed slaves and build Republican support in the South by enfranchising black voters and reducing the power of the Southern planter class.

Question 7

The North interpreted black codes as
A) evidence that the South sought to keep freedmen in an economically dependent and legally inferior status.
B) evidence that the South, by granting limited rights such as allowing jury service, was slowly accommodating to an improved status for former slaves.
C) a realistic solution by the South to the problems created by sudden emancipation.
D) a dangerous experiment by the South that could lead to social equality for blacks in the North.

Accepted Answer

The North saw black codes as an attempt by the South to maintain a system similar to slavery, keeping African Americans in a subordinate position despite their emancipation.

Question 8

The congressional Reconstruction program enacted in 1866-1867 provided for all of the following EXCEPT
A) citizenship and suffrage for former slaves.
B) a requirement that southern states ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before readmission.
C) military occupation.
D) a land reform measure that would grant small tracts of farmland to deserving freedmen.

Accepted Answer

The congressional Reconstruction program did not include a land reform measure to grant farmland to freedmen. The other options were part of the Reconstruction Acts, which aimed to rebuild the South and integrate former slaves into society.

Question 9

Which of the following most accurately explains the meaning of the refusal of Congress to convict Johnson?
A) Johnson's influence in Congress was increasing.
B) The power of the Radicals in Congress was waning.
C) The country's support for Johnson was increasing.
D) Radicals in Congress feared counteraction by the Supreme Court if they convicted Johnson.

Accepted Answer

The refusal to convict Johnson indicated that the Radical Republicans, who were pushing for his impeachment, were losing influence and could not muster enough votes to remove him from office.

Question 10

African Americans who held political office in southern Reconstruction governments generally
A) alienated whites by pushing for social equality and land reform.
B) were more radical in their views than the black population at large.
C) manipulated the Freedmen's Bureau to impose unequal labor contracts on white planters.
D) were educated professionals, independent landowners, or otherwise from the ranks of black elites.

Accepted Answer

African Americans who held political office during Reconstruction were often from the educated and elite segments of the black community, such as professionals and landowners, rather than being radical or alienating whites.

Question 11

What is true about southern economic redevelopment?
A) Northerners known as "scalawags" came south to exploit the South's economic vulnerability.
B) Republican-dominated Reconstruction governments sought to encourage southern industry.
C) Unlike the North, southern governments became notorious for corruption, which explains the skyrocketing public debt.
D) One success of the postwar South was in laying as much railroad track as the rest of the nation combined.

Accepted Answer

Republican-dominated Reconstruction governments aimed to modernize the Southern economy by encouraging industrial growth and infrastructure development.

Question 12

After emancipation, the most important institutions for African Americans as they tried to establish their own independent family and community life were
A) the Freedmen's Bureau and the Supreme Court.
B) the black-controlled state legislatures and the land reform program.
C) the sharecrop system and the black codes.
D) the schools and the churches.

Accepted Answer

Schools and churches were central to African American communities post-emancipation, serving as centers for education, socialization, and community organization.

Question 13

For southern whites, the old idea of ________ in master-slave relationships was replaced by ________.
A) close paternalistic ties; the distance of purely economic relationships
B) religious duty; an ideology of class conflict
C) terrorizing blacks into submission; artfully persuading them of the wisdom of letting whites govern for them
D) enforced segregation of the races; more complex and subtle social interactions

Accepted Answer

The old paternalistic ties in master-slave relationships were replaced by more distant, purely economic relationships after the Civil War, as the economic and social structures changed.

Question 14

Which of the following is an accurate explanation of the South's "redemption"?
A) Gradually, conservative and racist white Democrats regained political control in the former Confederate states.
B) A fresh wave of evangelical revivals spread across "the Bible Belt."
C) Southern acceptance of the end of slavery meant northern acceptance of the South as a restored section.
D) Southern states gradually came to experience economic prosperity and development.

Accepted Answer

"Redemption" refers to the period after Reconstruction when conservative white Democrats, often with racist agendas, regained political control in the Southern states, effectively ending many of the advancements made during Reconstruction.

Question 15

Ultimately, wartime ideals and the goals of a real Reconstruction were scuttled by a deep-seated ________ in America.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ultimately, wartime ideals and the goals of...

Question 16

Contrast the terms of Lincoln's program of Reconstruction with Johnson's program.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Contrast the terms of Lincoln's program of...

Question 17

What were the black codes? What role did they play in the early stages of Reconstruction?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What were the black codes? What role...

Question 18

Explain why four of the following issues were important to freed people after the Civil War: marriage, family, names, travel, labor contracts, and work done by women and children.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why four of the following issues...

Question 19

What were the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What were the provisions of the Fourteenth...

Question 20

Why did Republicans in Congress impeach Johnson? Was this action justified?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why did Republicans in Congress impeach Johnson?...

Quiz 17: Reconstructing the Union 1865-1877

The chapter introduction tells the story of Benjamin Montgomery to make the point that

According to your text, what two issues lay at the heart of Reconstruction?

During the war, congressional leaders felt that Lincoln's plan , so they passed .

The Radical Republicans in Congress approached Reconstruction with the conviction that

Under new president Andrew Johnson, presidential Reconstruction

Which of the following is true about the Radical-dominated Reconstruction Congress?

The North interpreted black codes as

The congressional Reconstruction program enacted in 1866-1867 provided for all of the following EXCEPT

Which of the following most accurately explains the meaning of the refusal of Congress to convict Johnson?

African Americans who held political office in southern Reconstruction governments generally

What is true about southern economic redevelopment?

After emancipation, the most important institutions for African Americans as they tried to establish their own independent family and community life were

For southern whites, the old idea of in master-slave relationships was replaced by .

Which of the following is an accurate explanation of the South's "redemption"?