Reconstruction

Which of the following best completes this list?

• Established schools

• Certified applications for political office

• Granted small-business loans

• Provided funds for farming supplies

Answer explanation

The correct choice, 'Established schools', aligns with initiatives aimed at improving education and community development, which is a common goal in various support programs.

After the Civil War, Southern states adopted Black Codes in order to—

• punish plantation owners for the use of slavery.

• support Radical Reconstruction objectives in the South.

• promote the activities of the Freedmen’s Bureau.

• limit the impact of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Answer explanation

After the Civil War, Southern states adopted Black Codes primarily to limit the impact of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. These laws aimed to restrict the rights and freedoms of newly freed African Americans.

What was one long-term consequence of the sharecropping system?

• Agricultural workers organized labor unions.

• Many former slaves became trapped in a cycle of debt.

• Many agricultural workers moved to cities to start small businesses.

• Landowners sold property to pay wages to former slaves.

Answer explanation

The sharecropping system often left many former slaves in debt due to high interest rates and unfair contracts, trapping them in a cycle of poverty and dependency on landowners.

The election of Hiram Rhodes Revels in 1870 was significant because he was the first African American to -

• win an election to public office as a member of the Democratic Party.

• win a majority of the popular vote in Mississippi.

• serve as a member of the U.S. Senate.

• serve as President of the United States.

Answer explanation

Hiram Rhodes Revels was significant as he became the first African American to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate in 1870, marking a historic moment in American politics during Reconstruction.

How did Southern states respond to the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment?

• By creating a segregated public education system

• By shutting down all remaining offices of the Freedmen's Bureau

• By imposing requirements designed to deny African Americans the right to vote

• By forcing African Americans to work as tenant farmers & sharecroppers

Answer explanation

Southern states responded to the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment by imposing literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices to effectively deny African Americans the right to vote.

The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affected the lives of millions of African Americans by —

• providing them with voting rights

• guaranteeing their freedom of speech

• providing them with access to the court system

• guaranteeing their permanent freedom from slavery

Answer explanation

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, guaranteeing permanent freedom for African Americans. It did not directly provide voting rights, freedom of speech, or access to the court system.

As the new freedmen in the South looked for a way to make a living, their former owners needed workers to farm their land. That led to the development of the --

• immigration of workers to the South

• end of the Reconstruction period in the South

• system of sharecropping

• abolishment of the institution of slavery

Answer explanation

The system of sharecropping emerged as a solution for freedmen seeking work and former owners needing labor to farm their land, allowing both parties to engage in agricultural production post-slavery.

What was a primary goal of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction?

• To redistribute land to former Confederate soldiers

• To assist former slaves in transitioning to freedom

• To enforce the Black Codes in Southern states

• To promote industrialization in the Northern states

Answer explanation

The Freedmen's Bureau aimed primarily to assist former slaves in transitioning to freedom by providing education, healthcare, and employment support, helping them integrate into society after the Civil War.

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?

• Thirteenth Amendment

• Fourteenth Amendment

• Fifteenth Amendment

• Sixteenth Amendment

Answer explanation

The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery in the United States, making it the correct answer. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments address citizenship and voting rights, while the Sixteenth Amendment deals with income tax.

What was the main purpose of the Black Codes enacted in the South after the Civil War?

• To provide education for African Americans

• To restrict the rights and movements of African Americans

• To promote economic development in the South

• To encourage African Americans to migrate to the North

Answer explanation

The main purpose of the Black Codes was to restrict the rights and movements of African Americans, ensuring their subservience and limiting their freedoms after the Civil War.