ap u.s history unit 5

AP U.S HistoryUnit 5

The Civil War and Reconstruction

What to focus on as you read: Events that led to the Secession of the Southern

States. Advantages and disadvantages of both sides Military “turning points” that effected the

outcome of the war. Events that led to the end of the war Confrontations between the President and

Congress over Reconstruction policies. The nature of Radical Reconstruction Events that caused the end of Radical

Reconstruction and the return of “white supremacy” in the Southern States.

Introduction: Various tensions within and between the

North and South came together to cause the Civil War.

A fundamental disagreement between Northerners and Southerners about the constitution contributed to the Civil War.

Slavery became a crisis in the context of western expansion.

Compromise on slavery, dating from the ratification of the constitution, became harder and eventually impossible by 1860.

Unit 5.1: Sectionalism created divisions socially, economically, and politically.

How did a lack of, or limited, economic interdependence lead to friction between the North, West, and South?

What role did Cotton play in forming the Southern dependence on Slavery and how did that dependence lead a population of mostly non-slave owning people to be willing to wage war of the “peculiar institution”?

In what ways did the North and the South differ in terms of their views on the Constitution and legality of secession?

How did the North and South’s attitudes towards each other affect the general demeanor of the nation towards the issue of slavery, how did it drive the nation out to radical extremes?


How did a lack of, or limited, economic interdependence lead to friction between the North, West, and South? By the 1830s the nation was forming into three separate and distinct regions.

▪ The South produced Cash Crops like tobacco, rice, and COTTON (the invention of the Cotton Gin caused a boom in demand for cotton and for slavery).

▪ The North was mainly a manufacturing society based on Banking, Shipping, Industry, and small and big business (creating a viable Middle Class in the North).

▪ The West had been primarily pioneer settlers who lived by subsistence farming, however by this time large corn, wheat, and dairy farms were becoming prominent.

When the West shifted from subsistence farming to mass production of foodstuffs (corn, wheat, etc.) they forged an economic alliance with the North who traded finished manufactured products for food.▪ This relationship was only made stronger by the containment of slavery to the Southern United

States.▪ Preventing slavery from moving west created more (not less) economic opportunity for the Northern

and Western citizens.▪ Although the North was tied to the South by Cotton and Textiles , the Northern economic diversity

limited the importance of Southern Cotton . The opportunities in the West were far more important. The South’s fantasy that “Cotton was King” and consequently the dependence of the

North and foreign nations like Great Britain would keep them economically viable caused the South to reject industrialization and remain very static socially, politically, and economically.▪ The political leadership of the South, although distrusted and disliked by many southerners, was the

Planter=Slave Owner Class who believed their livelihood depended on the continued existence and spread of slavery across the nation.


What role did Cotton play in forming the Southern dependence on Slavery and how did that dependence lead a population of mostly non-slave owning people to be willing to wage war of the “peculiar institution”? As important as Tobacco, Rice, and Indigo were, no crop was more important to the

South than Cotton. The political leadership of the South postured with the belief that Southern Cotton

was so vital to the North that they would continue to compromise on the expansion of slavery into western lands.▪ Southern politicians used the quotes “Cotton is King” and the “Cotton Kingdom” to

emphasize that the Northern economy would collapse without Southern Cotton.▪ The South would later base much of its military strategy in the Civil War on the delusion that

the British would enter the Civil War on the South’s behalf to keep from losing access to their cotton.

Most white southerners were subsistence farmers who owned no slaves, only about 25% of the southern population owned slaves and smaller still was the percentage that owned slaves in large numbers.▪ Many of these people, though they distrusted the Planter Class, either feared the economic

loss that may come from abolition, had dreams of economic growth that would allow them to one day own slaves, or held onto a deep-seeded racism that fostered a belief in white superiority.

▪ The Planter class held the political power, they controlled the flow of information, and they perpetuated the concept of African Slaves as property/investments/second-class humans

▪ The South during this time was a different world, life moved at a slower pace, society was based on rigid social structure, and their was little emphasis on education and social mobility.


In what ways did the North and the South differ in terms of their views on the Constitution and legality of secession? Compact Theory

▪ The States, not the people, created the union.▪ States’ Rights are supreme in conflicts with the laws and actions of the Federal Government

▪ The use of Personal Liberty Laws by Northern States that did not wish to cooperate with the new Federal Fugitive Slave Law drafted in 1850.

▪ The States can deem the laws of the Federal Government null and void if they deem it “necessary and proper” to do so.▪ The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions▪ The Hartford Convention▪ The South Carolina Exposition and Protest (related to the Tariff of Abominations)▪ The Ordinance of Nullification (1832) (again related to the Tariff of Abominations).

▪ If a State voluntarily joined the Union, it should be able to voluntarily withdraw (secede) from the Union.

Contract Theory▪ The people, not the States, created the Union.▪ The Federal Government is Supreme.

▪ Federal laws and actions take precedence over the States.▪ Reference the rulings of the Marshall Court, John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, and

the general intent of the Constitution.▪ Secession is illegal

▪ Texas v. White (1869) – Supreme Court ruled that Texas had never seceded from the Union, that secession and legislative actions therein were null.


How did the North and South’s attitudes towards each other affect the general demeanor of the nation towards the issue of slavery, how did it drive the nation out to radical extremes? The South towards the North

▪ Many southerners saw their society as the peak of chivalrous, gentile living.▪ Southerners looked upon the cities of the north as dirty, barbaric, and riddled with crime and

disease.▪ Southerners convinced themselves that their treatment of slaves was far more humane than the living

and working conditions of the northern “wage slave” (as wage laborers were characterized by the southern Planter Class.▪ The Planter Class portrayed the slave as an investment (some slaves cost as much as $2000), where

the northern wage laborer could be easily replaced the slave had to be cared for and maintained.▪ Many southerners even perpetuated the myth of the “happy slave” who lived better than most free

citizens of the north.▪ These arguments are rendered ignorant when the truth of harsh mistreatment, dissolving of families,

and brutal torture come to light.▪ The Southerner was convinced that the only reason the north wished to contain slavery was that it

would lead to greater economic opportunity and, consequently, more money in the hands of the North’s wealthy elite.▪ Industrial Capitalists saw the west as a goldmine for economic growth, sought to poison the country

with lenient immigration laws, and sought monopoly in the guise of capitalism that would only serve to abuse the consumer and worker as the wealthy elite increased their profit.

▪ Increasingly, political power in the South fell into the hands of “Fire Eaters” (a group of militant political leaders who saw abolition as an act of war against the southern states).▪ These extremists would not bend on any issue that proposed the containment, let alone the

abolition, of slavery.


How did the North and South’s attitudes towards each other affect the general demeanor of the nation towards the issue of slavery, how did it drive the nation out to radical extremes? The North towards the South

▪ Don’t make the mistake of believing that most northerners were morally opposed to slavery.▪ Many northerners, not directly exposed to the institution, were apathetic toward slavery.▪ Many of those who were opposed to slavery only wished to stop it spreading to the west.▪ Others, like Abraham Lincoln and James Monroe, supported the American Colonization

Society which proposed to move African Slaves back to Africa. This effort ultimately resulted in the formation of Liberia in West Africa and its capitol city of Monrovia.

▪ Most northerners were, however, alarmed by the prospect of slavery expanding into the rich opportunities for economic development in places like Kansas, Oregon, and California.▪ Slavery was seen as destructive of Capitalism and limiting economic opportunity.▪ Plantation Agriculture discouraged industrialization. As long as Britain was dependent

on Southern Cotton they would continue to provide manufactured and commercial products.

▪ Most northerners saw the South as “old fashioned”, “behind the times”, a static society with little opportunity for economic growth, and therefor not a place for investment and certainly not a place where the “wage laborer” had any future as long as slavery continued to exist.▪ Because of this very few immigrants settled in the South, most settled in the northern

cities or moved into the western territories.


How did the North and South’s attitudes towards each other affect the general demeanor of the nation towards the issue of slavery, how did it drive the nation out to radical extremes? From this clash of cultures three groups of extremists emerged that

would prove to inflexible on any debate on the issue of slavery.▪ Increasingly, political power in the South fell into the hands of “Fire Eaters” (a

group of militant political leaders who saw abolition as an act of war against the southern states).▪ The Fire Eaters were militants who would refuse to bend on any compromise that would contain, let

alone abolish slavery.▪ From a combination of Northern Democrats, Whigs, Know-Nothings, and Free

Soilers the Republican Party was formed with the motto of “Free Labor, Free Soil, Free Men”.▪ From the Republican Party would emerge Abraham Lincoln who pledged to halt the westward

expansion of slavery and made the famous statement “a house divided cannot stand” quoting biblical scripture.

▪ Rather than working to contain slavery, Abolitionists worked to eliminate the “evil institution”.▪ The ranks of the Abolitions ranged from speakers and writers like William Lloyd Garrison and

Frederick Douglass to activists like Harriet Tubman to violent radicals like Nat Turner and John Brown.

Unit 5.2: Events that demonstrated the breakdown of compromise.

Were the compromises of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster really successes or were they only delaying the inevitable?

How did the Compromise of 1850 guarantee that there would be a Civil War?

How did Abraham Lincoln’s emergence in politics become the beginning of the end?

In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War?


Were the compromises of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster really successes or were they only delaying the inevitable? Compromises at the Constitutional Convention

▪ The Slave Trade (Commerce) Compromise▪ Banned the importation of slaves as of 1808

▪ The Three-Fifths Compromise▪ Allowed the southern states to count three of every five slaves toward Congressional representation.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820▪ This compromise was initially designed to sooth Northern fears of an imbalance in the

Senate between Free and Slave states.▪ Maine was admitted to the Union as a Free State, Missouri as a Slave State.▪ The Compromise established a dividing line at 36 30 North Latitude. North of the line

would be free, south of it would be slave.▪ Although initially successful, the Compromise would later stir Southern fears of an

imbalance in the Senate that would be further stirred by the Wilmot Proposal (banning slavery in all of the Mexican Cession).

The Compromise Tariff of 1833▪ This Compromise came in response to John C. Calhoun’s call for secession in South

Carolina over the Tariff of Abominations (1828) and President Andrew Jackson’s potential use of the Force Bill to send federal troops into South Carolina to collect the tariff.

▪ The Compromise Tariff lowered the Tariff gradually over the next ten years and John C. Calhoun resigned as Vice President to return to the Senate.

▪ South Carolina was now to the Civil War what Massachusetts was to the Revolution.


How did the Compromise of 1850 guarantee that there would be a Civil War? In 1849 Gold is discovered in California and 100,000 settlers move to the

territory and apply to enter the Union as a free state. Southern Fire Eaters were strongly opposed and threatened secession if this

occurred. Henry Clay stepped in and proposed a Compromise, but died (as did John C.

Calhoun) before it could be signed into law by President Millard Fillmore. Clay’s initial attempt to pass each component through Congress individually

failed, but after his death Stephen Douglas picked up the Compromise and presented it to Congress as an omnibus bill. The measure passed.▪ California would enter as a free state▪ A new Fugitive Slave Law would require the Federal Government to assist in the

capture and return of runaway slaves.▪ The Slave Trade (not ownership) was banned in Washington DC▪ The territory gained from Mexico (The Mexican Cession) would determine the question

of slavery through popular sovereignty .▪ Popular Sovereignty was the idea of Stephen Douglas ▪ It would allow territorial citizens to vote on the issue of slavery and take the issue out of the hands of

the Federal Government. This would prove to be the final Compromise of the antebellum period.


How did Abraham Lincoln’s emergence in politics become the beginning of the end? In 1858 Abraham Lincoln ran for the Senate seat in Illinois against

Stephen Douglas (Compromise of 1850). The two engaged in a series of debates centered around the issue of

slavery.▪ Lincoln’s rhetoric (even though he was not an abolitionist) found favor with

those who opposed the westward expansion of slavery and were morally opposed to the institution.

▪ Where Lincoln addressed slavery as a moral issue (“if slavery is not wrong then nothing is”), Stephen Douglas approached slavery as a legal issue.▪ In the Freeport Doctrine Douglas asserted that slavery could only exist in communities that

passed laws (slave codes) to establish and maintain it.▪ This infuriated Southerners who had latched onto the Dred Scott decision’s ruling that

slavery could exist anywhere and that Congress had no right to regulate the property of territorial citizens.

▪ However, Douglas could not say anything else without destroying the credibility of his own doctrine of popular sovereignty.

Abraham Lincoln was then elected President, despite losing the Senatorial election in 1858, in 1860 prompting the secession of seven southern states and the beginning of the Civil War.


In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War? The Kansas-Nebraska Act▪ Stephen Douglas was pushing a Bill that would build a major

railroad line through Illinois (through his own landholdings).▪ To get the Bill passed he went to Southern Democrats and

struck a deal that became known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act.▪ The Nebraska Territory would be divided into the Kansas and Nebraska

territories.▪ Settlers there would determine the status of slavery through popular

sovereignty.▪ Northerners were outraged, both these territories were north of 36 30

and deemed free territory by the Missouri Compromise.▪ So angered were Northerners that they formed the Republican

Party with the intent of standing against the “slavocracy” of the South.


In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War? The Dred Scott Decision▪ Scott was a slave who lived in Missouri, then was taken for two

years to live in Wisconsin (a free state), then back to Missouri.▪ Scott sued in Federal Court for his freedom on the grounds that

once on free soil he was free.▪ Headed by Chief Justice Roger Taney, the pro-southern Court went

well beyond the scope of the case in its decision.▪ Congress had no authority to regulate the private property (slaves) of any

citizen without due process of law.▪ The Missouri Compromise was ruled unconstitutional, no w there were no limits

on where slavery could or could not exist.▪ African Americans were not citizens of the United States and therefore could

not sue their masters for freedom.▪ The South saw a great victory in the Dred Scott decision and hoped

to capitalize on it and push slavery further west.


In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War? Bleeding Kansas:

▪ In 1854 Kansas was granted the right to determine the slavery question by vote.▪ The majority of Kansas’s population was anti-slavery farmers, so obviously Kansas would vote

to become a free territory.▪ When “border ruffians” from Missouri (a pro-slavery) state began appearing in Kansas the vote

came into question. In response organizations like the New England Emigrant Society began sending anti-slavery voters to Kansas. Before long there were more voters than actual residents of Kansas.

▪ Two governments were soon formed in Kansas.▪ The pro-slavery government formed in Lecompton, Kansas▪ The anti-slavery government formed in Topeka, Kansas

▪ Hostilities soon ensued▪ Shortly after the two governments were formed, pro-slavery forced attacked and massacred

citizens in the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas (the Sack of Lawrence).▪ In response to the Sack of Lawrence, John Brown organized a massacre of his own at

Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas▪ Together with other events this became a mini-Civil War in Kansas.

▪ In 1856 President Buchanan (the ultimate Shultz) accepted the Lecompton Constitution and put Kansas up as a slave state.

▪ Stephen Douglas united with Congressional Republicans and fought for and won Kansas’s admission as a free state.

▪ The Violence in Kansas became known as “Bleeding Kansas” and should have warned the nation of what a Civil War would look like.


In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War? The Caning of Charles Sumner▪ Senator Charles Sumner made a harsh speech, “The Crime Against

Kansas”, in which Sumner made highly critical, personal, and accusatory remarks about South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler.

▪ Butler’s nephew Congressman Preston Brooks defended his Uncle (who had been absent during the speech) by walking into the Senate and pummeling Sumner with a cane.

▪ Brooks argued that dueling was too good for Sumner, caning was more fitting a dog.

▪ Brooks was censured by the Congress and Sumner was put out of work for three years.

▪ It was not uncommon for Senators and Representatives to begin showing up in the Capitol Building armed.


In what ways did Legislation, Court Cases, and acts of violence contribute to the steady move toward Civil War? John Brown’s (of Pottawatomie Creek) Raid on Harper’s Ferry:▪ Brown was convinced that the evil Planter-Slave Owner Class in the South

could be compelled to end slavery only through bloodshed.▪ In an attempt to initiate a slave rebellion, Brown resurfaced in Harper’s

Ferry, Virginia.▪ Harper’s Ferry was home to a Federal arsenal that Brown hoped to use to arm his

slave revolt.▪ Brown was met there by U.S. Army forces led by Colonel Robert E. Lee▪ Lee was a rising star in the U.S. Army and would later be Lincoln’s first choice to lead

the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War.▪ Brown’s hope that slaves would flock to him and initiate a rebellion was crushed.

▪ Brown was captured, convicted of Treason against the state of Virginia, and hung for his crimes.

▪ From the gallows, Brown made the famous statement that “the crimes of this guilty land could be purged only through blood” and was considered a martyr for the cause by many northern abolitionists.

▪ The South became increasingly suspicious of northern efforts to cause and contribute to violent slave revolts.

Unit 5.3: Military “turning points” that led to the end of the Civil War

How did the Election of Abraham Lincoln initiate the Civil War?

What were the strengths and weaknesses of each side entering the War?

What military “turning points” led to the culmination of the Civil War?

In what ways did Grant’s policy of Total War and Sherman’s “March to the Sea” influence the Election of 1864 and help bring the war to an end?


How did the Election of Abraham Lincoln initiate the Civil War? The Candidates:▪ Republican Party: Abraham Lincoln – Contain Slavery to the Southeast.▪ Northern Democrat Party: Stephen Douglas – Popular Sovereignty should

decide the Slavery question.▪ Southern Democrat Party: John Breckinridge – opposed the containment of

slavery.▪ Constitutional Union Party: John Bell – Preserve the Union; position on

slavery was ambiguous. Lincoln won the election with only 39% of the popular vote and

did not appear on many Southern ballots. South Carolina and six other “Deep South” states seceded

immediately upon Lincoln’s election. Others waited to see if Lincoln would use force against South Carolina when he took office in March.

During the “Lame-Duck” period Captain Do-Nothing James Buchanan did nothing about the secessionitis gripping the South.


What were the strengths and weaknesses of each side entering the War? The Confederacy

▪ Strengths▪ Better Generals (Lee and Jackson); many of the West Point grads went with the Confederacy.▪ Their President, Jefferson Davis, had been the Secretary of War.▪ Cotton, a profitable commodity, could potentially lure foreign assistance

▪ Weaknesses▪ Small Population▪ New and weak central government▪ Economy was underdeveloped, lacked industry, and depended on foreign powers for

manufactured and commercial products.▪ Lacked a powerful navy

The Union▪ Strengths

▪ Large Population▪ More factories, railroads, telegraph lines, food production; did not depend on foreign assistance▪ Strong and effective political leadership▪ Although not powerful by European standards, a much more powerful navy than the Confederacy

▪ Weaknesses▪ A population that was not totally committed to “Lincoln’s War”▪ Copperheads (Northern Politicians who sympathized with the Confederacy and undermined

Lincoln.▪ Less experienced Generals, although this would change by the end of the war.


What military “turning points” led to the culmination of the Civil War? Getting Started▪ Hostilities commenced on April 12, 1861 when South Carolina artillery

batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter.▪ By not reinforcing Fort Sumter, Lincoln allowed the Confederacy to open

hostilities giving him authority to seized greater Executive Powers in the name of suppressing rebellion.

▪ Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion and the remaining Confederate States (North Carolina being the last) seceded from the Union in protest.

▪ In what became known as the Trent Affair, an U.S. warship stopped a British ship carrying two Confederate Diplomats and arrested the two men. The British protested (maybe they forgot the Chesapeake Incident) and Lincoln released the men fearing the British may enter the war.

▪ Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus and arrested hundreds of Confederate sympathizers in an effort to prevent the secession of Maryland.

▪ Possibly most important, Lincoln was able to prevent the secession of Maryland and three other “Border States” (slave states that could have increased the Confederate population by 50%)


What military “turning points” led to the culmination of the Civil War? Early Stages of the War:▪ General Winfield Scott (Mexican War) developed the Union’s strategy

for retaking the Confederacy. It featured the capture of Richmond, conquest of the Mississippi River Valley, and a Naval Blockade of Southern ports. It became known as the Anaconda Plan.

▪ The Confederacy’s strategy was based primarily on waging a defensive war (although surviving a long war was unrealistic) and luring assistance from Great Britain (which had recently abolished slavery).

▪ The first major battle of the Civil War was the Battle of First Bull Run, which put on full display how unprepared both sides were for this conflict. ▪ Although it appeared the Union was on the brink of victory, a counterattack led by

General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson sent the Union Army into a panicked retreat back to Washington DC.

▪ Some historians argue that if the Confederates had taken advantage of the situation and marched on the Capitol, they may have won the war in 1861.

▪ That assumes the Confederate Army was prepared enough to siege Washington DC.


What military “turning points” led to the culmination of the Civil War? The Confederacy’s first invasion of the North:

▪ The brilliance of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was put on display during the Seven Days War (the Peninsula Campaign).

▪ Confederate victory at the Battle of Second Bull Run prompted Lee to launch an invasion of the North to put pressure on Washington DC and attempt to strong-arm a political settlement to the rebellion. At least, he hoped it would encourage the British to recognize the Confederacy and join the war.

▪ Lee’s Army was intercepted at Antietam Creek, defeated, and forced to retreat back into Virginia.▪ The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest days of the Civil War.▪ Lincoln was furious that his commander did not pursue Lee’s Army into Virginia.▪ Lincoln used the “victory” (it was really a draw) at Antietam to issue the

Emancipation Proclamation, which shifted the focus of the war from preserving the Union to abolishing slavery. This encouraged slaves to run away from the plantations, tying up valuable

Confederate resources. This made possible the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union

Army (400,000). This destroyed any Confederate hopes that Britain would enter the war.


What military “turning points” led to the culmination of the Civil War? Lee’s Second Invasion of the North:▪ Robert E. Lee’s brilliant victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville

(split his force in the face of larger Union adversaries and won anyway), inspired his second invasion of the North.

▪ Lee’s invading Army (against orders) engaged Union Cavalry in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1863.▪ 50,000 casualties were suffered by the two armies at this horrific battle.▪ Lee ordered the infamous “Pickett’s Charge” on the final day of Gettysburg and

much of the Confederate Army was destroyed.▪ Lincoln would later make his “Gettysburg Address” in memorial of the battle

and his words gave purpose to the war, redefined the Union , and stated that slavery was the “unfinished business” these men had died for.

▪ When combined with the Union victory at Vicksburg (giving the Union Army control of the Mississippi River Valley) Gettysburg becomes the “Turning Point” of the Civil War. The Confederate Army would never fully recover and the end of the War was at least conceivable at this point.


In what ways did Grant’s policy of Total War and Sherman’s “March to the Sea” influence the Election of 1864 and help bring the war to an end? Grant takes command:▪ Grant had been placed in command of the Union Army in the

west successfully sieging Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson. Grant’s conquest of the Northern Mississippi River was completed at the horrific Battle of Shiloh.

▪ Grant’s push into the State of Mississippi was complimented by the capture of the city of New Orleans by the U.S. Navy commanded by David Farragut.

▪ Grant completed his conquest of the Mississippi River Valley on July 4, 1863 when he finally completed his siege of Vicksburg (the same day that Lee was defeated at Gettysburg).

▪ In early 1864, Lincoln named Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union Armies.


In what ways did Grant’s policy of Total War and Sherman’s “March to the Sea” influence the Election of 1864 and help bring the war to an end? Grant launches a “war of attrition”.▪ Grant’s strategy revolved around the concept of “Total War”. He would

not worry about strategic targets, simply hounding the weakened Army of Northern Virginia till it could no longer exist as a viable fighting force.

▪ The Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor all demonstrated that Grant (“The Butcher”) was willing to suffer horrific casualties in order to reduce the Confederate Army and force them into a defensive perimeter around Richmond.

▪ Further South, Grant authorized General William T. Sherman to make his infamous march to Atlanta, which led to the “March to the Sea” ending with the burning of Columbia, South Carolina the Capitol of the state and seat of secession.▪ Sherman’s forces burned cotton fields, barns, homes, anything the Confederate

Army could use (military or civilian) to survive.▪ Sherman’s forces burned Atlanta, Georgia▪ Sherman’s path of destruction broke the will of many Southerners to fight on and

helped bring a swift end to the war.


In what ways did Grant’s policy of Total War and Sherman’s “March to the Sea” influence the Election of 1864 and help bring the war to an end? The Election of 1864 and the end of the war:▪ The fall of Atlanta and the support of federal troops through

absentee ballots helped Lincoln win reelection in 1864 facing stiff opposition from General George McClellan and the Democrat Party.

▪ On April 9, 1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House ending the Civil War. ▪ Ulysses S. Grant tried to set the tone for Reconstruction by allowing the

Confederates to leave Appomattox Court House with their weapons and their horses believing the war in earnest was over.

▪ Five days after Lee’s surrender Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. The loss of Lincoln and the outrage over his murder doomed the nation to a vicious period of Radical Reconstruction.

Unit 5.4: The Legacy of the American Civil War. In what ways was the Civil War

crucial to the development of the United States and the Federal System in general?

What were some of the costs of war?

How did the “Federal Union” continue business during the Civil War?

What was Lincoln’s approach to Reconstruction as Confederate States were reconquered?

Unit 5.4: The Legacy of the American Civil War. In what ways was the Civil War crucial

to the development of the United States and the Federal System in general? The War was a catalyst in the

industrialization of the United States and industrial capitalist class became dominant in American society.

The Federal government was deemed paramount in relation to the states.

The War forever ended the institution of slavery (13th Amendment).

Unit 5.4: The Legacy of the American Civil War. What were some of the costs of war?

The Civil War cost roughly $7 Billion in 1860 dollars ($76 Billion in today’s money).

618,000 dead in combat Immense property damage The Southern economy was in ruins Northern “carpetbaggers” came south to buy

land cheap and flip the real estate for profit. Though the war was over and slavery ended,

sectional differences still remained to haunt the Reconstruction process.

Unit 5.4: The Legacy of the American Civil War.

How did the “Federal Union” continue business during the Civil War? Congress passed the Morrill Tariff Act of 1861 initiating a

Republican program of high tariffs to protect American Industry.

The Homestead Act of 1862 promoted settlement of the Great Plains by granting 160 acres of federal land free to any person or family that would live on it for five years.

The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 encouraged states to use the revenue from sale of federal lands to support Agricultural and Technical Colleges (North Carolina A&T and NC State University are examples in North Carolina).

The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad over northern territories to link the markets of California, the Midwest, and the Eastern states.

Unit 5.4: The Legacy of the American Civil War.

What was Lincoln’s approach to Reconstruction as Confederate States were reconquered? In his second Inaugural Address, Lincoln urged that the South be

treated with “malice toward none and charity toward all” and that the nation work for lasting peace with honor.

Lincoln viewed (as part of the Contract Theory) secession as illegal, the crime of men not the states.

Therefore Lincoln pushed for what becomes known as “Easy Reconstruction”.▪ Once 10% of a state’s population pledged their allegiance to the United States

and renounced secession they could begin sending representatives back to Congress.

▪ This outraged many northerners who felt the Confederacy needed to punished severely for secession to create a deterrent for any future thoughts of secession.

▪ In some cases former Confederate States were sending representatives back to Washington before the Civil War had even ended which disgusted the “Radical Republicans” in Congress.

▪ These actions would lead to a fight between Congress and the President (although it would not be Lincoln) over control of the Reconstruction process.

Practice Question #1

1. Which of the following is not an accurate statement regarding the north in the antebellum period?

A. Its industrial development was greater than the other two regions

B. The textile industry was important to several of the states in this region

C. The planter class was dominant in most of the states in the region

D. Northerners favored a high protective tariffE. Much of the nation’s banking industry was located

in the north


2. The “turning point” of the American Civil War occurred at:

A. First Bull RunB. Second Bull RunC. The confrontation between the Monitor

and the MerrimacD. AntietamE. Gettysburg


3. Which of the following is consistent with the Contract Theory?

A. The South Carolina Exposition B. The political views of John C. CalhounC. The states, not the federal government,

being supremeD. The Kentucky and Virginia ResolutionsE. The decisions handed down by the

Marshall Court


4. The Compromise of 1850: A. Banned slavery in Washington DCB. Allowed Kansas to enter the union as a

slave stateC. Ended the Fugitive Slave LawD. Gave all the land taken from Mexico to

TexasE. Allowed California to enter the union as

a free state


5. Popular Sovereignty was the idea that:A. The government of each new territory should be

elected by the peopleB. The American public should vote on whether to

admit states with or without slaveryC. It was for the citizens of a territory to decide if

their territory would enter the union as a free or slave state.

D. The United States should assume popular control of the territory acquired from Mexico

E. Slavery should be prohibited from any territory acquired by the United States


6. In the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court:A. Avoided controversy by ruling that Dred Scott had

no right to sue in Civil Court.B. Ruled that the Kansas-Nebraska Act was

unconstitutionalC. Ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery in

the territories because slaves were private propertyD. Ruled that slaves could sue in federal court only if

their masters allowed them to do soE. Ruled that a slave that had been transported to a

free state or territory was a free citizen of the United States


7. The Crittenden Proposal:A. Banned slavery west of the Mississippi RiverB. Would have granted the Southern states their

independence if they abolished slaveryC. Would have lowered the protective tariff in

return for abolishing the Fugitive Slave LawD. Ended the slave trade but not slavery in

Washington DCE. Would have guaranteed slaveholders’ the

right to won slaves south of the 36 30 line out to the Pacific Ocean


8. In the election of 1860:A. Most southerners refused to vote in

protest of Lincoln’s candidacy B. The majority of citizens living in the three

sections voted for Abraham LincolnC. The Tariff was the most controversial issueD. The vast majority of southerners voted for

the compromise candidate, John BellE. The Republicans gained control of the

executive branch for the first time


9. The Emancipation Proclamation: A. Abolished slavery in all states that were in

open rebellionB. Abolished slavery in the border statesC. Ended the slave trade but not slavery in

Washington DCD. Was ruled unconstitutional by the Taney

Supreme CourtE. Allowed for popular sovereignty in those

states that willingly returned to the Union


10.Which of the following is not associated with the North during the war?

A. Continued industrializationB. The Morrill Tariff Act of 1861C. The Homestead Act of 1862D. The use of African Americans in the

United States militaryE. The ratification of the Fifteenth

Amendment guaranteeing voting rights to male U.S. citizens

Answer Key

1. C2. E3. E4. E5. C6. C7. E8. E9. A10.E

Introduction Attitudes and economic/political forces influenced the dimensions of

Reconstruction. Lincoln and Johnson’s lenient Reconstruction plans clashed with the Radical

Republican’s Reconstruction methods and objectives. The Republican Party sought to contain African Americans in the South in

order to establish the nucleus of the Republican Party in that section of the country.

Southern “redeemers” temporarily reinstated the South’s antebellum political and social system, leading to the more punitive Radical Reconstruction.

Reactionaries regained control of the South, African Americans were relegated to sharecropping and tenant farming, and African Americans were returned to social and political subordination.

A “corrupt bargain” between the Southern Democrats and the mainstream Republican Party would ultimately end Radical Reconstruction.

Unit 5.5: Foundations of Reconstruction Policies In what ways was the power of

the Federal Government expanded by the Civil War and how would this effect Reconstruction policies?

What were the economic and political foundations of Reconstruction?

What impact did the assassination of Lincoln have on Reconstruction?

Unit 5.5: Foundations of Reconstruction Policies

In what ways was the power of the Federal Government expanded by the Civil War and how would this effect Reconstruction policies? The Federal Government implemented a Draft (Conscription) for the

first time in its history. This action sparked violent draft riots in New York City that had to be put down by the U.S. Navy.

The Federal Government took it upon itself to protect the constitutional rights of one segment of U.S. society.

To pay for the war the Federal Government sold war bonds, implemented the nation’s first income tax, and printed paper money (greenbacks) in large amounts.

At various times Lincoln justified going outside the constitution by asserting what became known as War Powers. This set a precedent that the constitution could be viewed more flexibly during time of war giving the President the authority to limit free speech, right to assembly, free press, and various rights of the accused (including habeas corpus).

The role of the Federal Government in general was expanded greatly during the Civil War and its supremacy in national law was firmly established.


In what ways was the power of the Federal Government expanded by the Civil War and how would this effect Reconstruction policies? In March 1865 Congress passed the Bureau of Refugees,

Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Act establishing the Freedmen’s Bureau to assist former slaves and destitute whites recovering from the war.▪ The Freedmen’s Bureau took lands from former slave owners and redistributed

it to poor whites and former slaves to use for farmland and subsistence farming.▪ The Freedmen’s Bureau established schools to educate African Americans and

poor whites, many of which were operated by northern women.▪ President Andrew Jackson (placed in the Vice Presidency only because he was a

War Democrat from Tennessee) undermined the Freedmen’s Bureau by returning confiscated lands to their previous owners.

▪ Many Southerners resented the presence of northerners in the South after the war calling them “carpetbaggers” and accusing them of coming south only to take advantage of the depressed southern economy and seek personal gain.

▪ Although the Civil War was over, the war for hearts and minds and civil rights was only beginning.

Unit 5.5: Foundations of Reconstruction Policies In what ways was the power of the Federal

Government expanded by the Civil War and how would this effect Reconstruction policies? Probably the most severe example of the new

willingness of the Federal Government to exert political and military force to employ federal policy was the stationing of federal troops in the south after the Civil War to maintain peace and stability.

The former Confederacy was eventually broken down into military districts governed by Generals who carried out federal law.

During this brief window from 1864 to 1877 African Americans were able to attend school, start businesses, vote, and hold political office.


What were the economic and political foundations of Reconstruction? Containment of African Americans in the South▪ African Americans would naturally support the Republican Party following

the Civil War, if they all moved north or west the Party would lose influence in the south.

▪ African Americans that moved north would represent a significant increase in job competition for low-wage northern immigrants and urban poor.

▪ Many northerners supported ending slavery, as long as the freed slaves stayed where they were. The South did not have a monopoly on racism.

The Establishment of the Republican Party as a National Party and the demotion of the Democrat Party to at best a nuisance.▪ The Planter Aristocracy was stripped of their political rights in the South

(many of which had been the politicians of secession prior to the war).▪ African Americans were provided just enough political and economic

opportunity to entice them to stay in the South and establish a southern base for the Republican Party.

▪ The Democrat Party was labeled the Party of Secession in an effort to prevent their reemergence after the war.

Unit 5.5: Foundations of Reconstruction Policies What impact did the assassination of Lincoln

have on Reconstruction? Abraham Lincoln supported a moderate

Reconstruction and had the political clout to carry it out, but he was cut down before this could happen.

Remember, Lincoln believed secession was impossible and that certain individuals had committed the crime of secession and rebellion.

Under Lincoln’s plan:▪ 10% of eligible voters needed to take a loyalty oath.▪ The State had to renounce the Compact Theory and accept

the Contract Theory.▪ Military Governors would oversee the Southern States

until these terms were agreed to.

Unit 5.6: Conflict between the President and Congress over Reconstruction.

How did Congress’s plan for Reconstruction differ from that of Lincoln and what events set their plan in motion?

What role did the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson play in the conflict between Congress and the President over Reconstruction?

How did the South respond to Radical Reconstruction?


How did Congress’s plan for Reconstruction differ from that of Lincoln and what events set their plan in motion? With Lincoln out of the way, Congress began to pursue a more

punitive Reconstruction plan and increasingly saw Andrew Johnson as an obstacle.

Johnson’s Plan mirrored Lincoln’s with a few additions:▪ He disenfranchised the Planter Aristocracy (for which his disdain was

well known). Johnson began to alienate his Republican supporters when he started issuing pardons to the very people he claimed to be taking power from.

▪ The Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (Lincoln) had pardoned all but war criminals and high ranking officials. The Amnesty Act of 1872 (Johnson) lifted all remaining obstacles for the former Confederates.▪ One can only imagine the horror of the Radical Republicans when the Vice President

of the Confederate States of America reclaimed his seat in the United States Senate.▪ Johnson required that the Southern States ratify the 13th Amendment

abolishing slavery, but did nothing to guarantee suffrage.


How did Congress’s plan for Reconstruction differ from that of Lincoln and what events set their plan in motion? The newly formed state governments begin reinstating

white supremacy:▪ Southern states began establishing “Black Codes” ▪ African Americans were barred from land ownership, their

mobility limited, and many were forced to sign work contracts that resigned them to sharecropping and tenant farming for the same people who had owned them prior to the war.

▪ African Americans were not allowed to testify in Court against whites, serve on juries, and had many other rights severely limited.

▪ The Radical Republicans first attempted to put their more punitive Reconstruction plan in place as early as 1864 in the Wade-Davis Bill, but Lincoln was able to use a “pocket veto” to kill the effort.


How did Congress’s plan for Reconstruction differ from that of Lincoln and what events set their plan in motion? The leaders of the Radical Republicans were Senator Charles Sumner and

Representative Thaddeus Stevens. The Radical Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, it was vetoed by

Johnson, but they overrode the veto. They knew something more permanent was necessary.▪ African Americans were citizens of the United States▪ Attempts to restrict basic rights would be illegal▪ The Federal Government, not the States, would be responsible for enforcing this Act

The Radical Republicans proposed the 14th Amendment, but the Southern states refused to ratify.

In the Reconstruction Act of 1867 the Radical Republicans asserted control of the Reconstruction process, invalidated all State constitutions ratified under “Easy Reconstruction” and instituted a military occupation of the South.▪ New State Constitutions had to be ratified by Congress▪ Southern States would have to ratify the 14th Amendment▪ African American voting rights would be overseen by federal troops (Hiram Revels

became the first African American elected to the Senate , in Jefferson Davis’s old seat, and 900,000 African Americans would vote for Ulysses S. Grant in 1868.

http://www.pbs.org/.../see_it_now/1860.0084.html


What role did the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson play in the conflict between Congress and the President over Reconstruction? The Radical Republicans passed the Tenure of Office Act over Johnson’s

veto.▪ The President was barred from dismissing any military or civilian official

without the consent of the Senate.▪ This would have dramatically reduced the President’s powers as

Commander-in-Chief In a challenge to the law, Johnson fired Secretary of State Edwin Stanton

(an ally of the Radical Republicans and head of the military occupation of the south).

Johnson was charged with “high crimes and misdemeanors” and impeached, but Congress failed to convict by one vote.

Potential consequences had Johnson been successfully removed from office:▪ The system of checks and balances would have been irreparably

damaged.▪ The independence of the Executive Branch would have been destroyed.▪ It would have encouraged any majority party in Congress to remove any

sitting President that opposed their political philosophy.


How did the South respond to Radical Reconstruction? Much of the South’s upper class accepted Radical

Reconstruction, tried to gain the trust of new African American voters, and tried to use their new relationship to turn them into Democrats.

The Democrat Party worked to retake control of Southern Politics from the Scalawags (Southern Republicans supportive of Radical Reconstruction).

The Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the Camellia were formed to intimidate and subordinate African Americans and supportive white Republicans during this period.▪ Their main aim was to prevent African Americans from voting or

starting businesses.▪ The only success of the Grant Administration was using the Force Act

to unleash the U.S. military on the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights.▪ Still many African Americans and white sympathizers were hesitant

to vote during this period.

Unit 5.7: The End of Radical Reconstruction What role did the Grant Administration

play in the nation tiring of the Republican Party?

What were the key components of the Compromise (“Corrupt Bargain”) of 1877?

What was the South’s immediate response to the end of Radical Reconstruction and how did this impact the Southern Democratic Party?

What is the Legacy of the Reconstruction period?

Unit 5.7: The End of Radical Reconstruction

What role did the Grant Administration play in the nation tiring of the Republican Party? Grant’s administration was extremely corrupt, packed with “spoilsmen” that engaged in

bribes and illegal contracts.▪ The Credit Mobilier ▪ The Railroad Company was making profits as high as 348% off government subsidies

for building the Transcontinental Railroad.▪ Owners gave stock options and bribes to influential Congressmen and Grant

Administration officials as high as the Vice President to prevent investigation.▪ The Whiskey Ring▪ Federal liquor agents conspired with distillers to defraud the government of millions

in taxes. The corruption of political machines like the Tweed Ring in New York City, combined with

Presidential scandals, gave people the impression that Reconstruction programs were just another opportunity for the wealthy to scam money off the taxpayer.▪ Boss Tweed and his cronies defrauded the taxpayers of New York City of roughly $200

million before being exposed by political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Wall Street corruption turned people more toward a need for reform in the government.

▪ In 1869 Wall Street financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk employed President Grant’s brother-in-law in an attempt to corner the nation’s gold market.

▪ The Treasury Department brake the scheme, but not before Gould raked in huge profits.

Corruption soured the public on President Grant and the Republican Party and turned attention away from Reconstruction efforts.


What were the key components of the Compromise (“Corrupt Bargain”) of 1877? Setting the stage▪ Federal Troops had been removed from all southern states except

South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. The Democrat Party had retaken control of much of the South.

▪ The Republican Party nominated Rutherford B. Hayes from Ohio, untouched by the scandals of the Grant administration.

▪ The Democrats nominated Charles Tilden, who had made a name fighting the corruption of the Tweed Ring in New York.

▪ Tilden won the popular vote by a landslide, but the results in South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana were contested.

▪ A Congressional Panel was assembled to decide the issue and voted a straight party line giving those states to Hayes who would then win the electoral college.

▪ The Democrats threatened to filibuster the results and send the election to the House of Representatives where they held a majority.

▪ The stage was set for “corrupt bargain”.

Unit 5.7: The End of Radical Reconstruction What were the key components of the

Compromise (“Corrupt Bargain”) of 1877? Let’s Make a Deal!▪ Hayes becomes President▪ The last of the Federal Troops would be removed from the South.▪ Congress would support the construction of a Southern Transcontinental Railroad.▪ Hayes agreed to name a Southern Democrat to a Cabinet position


What was the South’s immediate response to the end of Radical Reconstruction and how did this impact the Southern Democratic Party? Political restrictions were put in place to circumvent the Fifteenth

Amendment.▪ Poll Taxes, a voting fee, disenfranchised poor African Americans and

whites alike.▪ Literacy tests capitalized on the limited educational opportunities for

African Americans in the South.▪ Gerrymandering Districts were used to manipulate the vote in places

where African Americans held a majority.▪ The Grandfather Clause was used to help limit the number of

disenfranchised whites. Jim Crow Laws were passed barring African Americans from public and

municipal facilities. Violations of these laws resulted in threats, beatings, and lynchings.

Various economic sanctions were put in place to maintain the subjugation of African Americans and keep them dependent on their white neighbors.

Consequently the Southern Democratic Party took firm hold of Southern politics in what has become known as the Solid South and firmly entrenched policies of segregation.

Unit 5.7: The End of Radical Reconstruction What is the Legacy of the

Reconstruction period? The Federal Government can

intervene to redress grievances and address social, economic, and political needs of those who have been exploited.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments would set the stage for later Civil Rights Movements in the 1950s and 1960s.


11.The original purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau was to:

A. Generate support among southern whites to attempt to end federal military occupation.

B. Organize African Americans as sharecroppers

C. Provide freed African Americans with food, clothing, and educational opportunities

D. Register blacks to voteE. Enroll poor whites and blacks into trade

unions


12. Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction, developed in 1863, allowed for a state to be readmitted once:

A. Fifty percent of its voters took an oath of allegiance to the Union.

B. The state legislature ratified the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments

C. Ten percent of its voters repudiated the contract theory

D. It paid for war damages caused by the Confederate Army

E. It abolished slavery and ten percent of its voters took an oath of loyalty to the union.


13.The fourteenth amendment to the Constitution:

A. Abolished slaveryB. Gave the federal government supreme

authority over the statesC. Gave black males the right to voteD. Defined citizenship rightsE. Gave to women the right to vote


14. Carpetbaggers were:A. Southerners who supported Radical Republican

governments in the south.B. Northerners such as teachers and ministers who

traveled South after the Civil War to aid the freedmen.

C. Former Confederate political leaders who regained their political seats in Congress when Reconstruction ended

D. Freed African Americans who fled to the West after being emancipated

E. Southern governments that refused to accept the Thirteenth Amendment


15.Andrew Johnson was impeached because:A. Southerners were opposed to his Radical

Reconstruction policiesB. He failed to enforce federal law in combating

the KKKC. He was involved in the assassination of

President LincolnD. Hid administration was involved in a number

of corrupt activitiesE. He was an obstacle to the Radical

Republican’s Reconstruction policies


16.In the election of 1876:A. The Republicans swept the southB. The contested election was decided by

the Supreme CourtC. Tilden received more electoral votes but

fare fewer popular votes than HayesD. Most white southerners refused to voteE. Republicans claimed that African

Americans had been denied the right to vote in several southern states.


17.Which of the following did not attempt to disenfranchise African American voters?

A. Force ActB. GerrymanderingC. Literacy TestD. Grandfather ClauseE. Poll Tax


18.Jim Crow Laws:A. Were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S.

Supreme Court immediately following the end of the Civil War

B. Were designed to subordinate African Americans

C. Allowed for the integration of all public facilitiesD. Were passed by Radical RepublicansE. Were designed to address the abuses of racist

organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and Knights of the White Camellia


19.Hiram Revels:A. Was the leader of the Radical Republicans

in the House of RepresentativesB. Was head of the Freedmen’s BureauC. Was involved in a scandal which seriously

damaged the Grant administrationD. Was the first African American elected to

CongressE. Was instrumental in organizing resistance

to the Ku Klux Klan


20. In the Compromise that was reached by Republicans and Democrats over the impasse in the Presidential election between Hayes and Tilden:

A. Tilden was given the presidency in return for selecting Republicans for every cabinet position in his administration

B. The Radical Republicans agreed to disband if Hayes was given the Presidency

C. Southerners generally voted for a third-party candidateD. Hayes was given the presidency if the South agreed to

ratify the Fifteenth AmendmentE. Hayes was given the presidency in return for the removal

of federal troops from the south.

Answer Key

1. C2. E3. D4. B5. E6. E7. A8. B9. D10.E

ap u.s history unit 5

Documents

importance of southern

southern states

southern dependence

civil war

cotton gin

containment of slavery

issue of slavery

economic interdependence