Unit 1 Test Review: Reconstruction

Who became the 17th President immediately after Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination?

• Jim Crow

• John Wilkes Booth

• Robert E. Lee

• Andrew Johnson

Answer explanation

Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. He was Lincoln's Vice President and assumed the presidency as per the constitutional line of succession.

What was the purpose of the Black Codes?

• To regulate fabric dyes

• To set a national curfew

• To segregate blacks and whites, and limit the voting rights of Freedmen

• To expand the rights of Freedmen/Freedwomen

Answer explanation

The Black Codes were laws enacted in the South to enforce racial segregation and restrict the rights of Freedmen, particularly their voting rights, thereby maintaining white supremacy after the Civil War.

Which of the following tactics did Southerners use to keep Freedmen from voting after passage of the 13th and 15th amendments?

• Grandfather Clauses

• Literacy Tests

• Poll Taxes

• All answers are correct

Answer explanation

After the 13th and 15th amendments, Southerners employed tactics like Grandfather Clauses, Literacy Tests, and Poll Taxes to disenfranchise Freedmen. Therefore, the correct answer is 'All answers are correct'.

Which of the following was NOT a failure of Johnson's Reconstruction Plan?

• It allowed for the development of Black Codes in Southern states.

• It allowed former Confederates to reclaim their positions within government in Southern states.

• It allowed for groups like the KKK to form in response to African Americans gaining rights.

• It required Southern states to ratify the 13th amendment before being readmitted to the Union.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is that Johnson's plan required Southern states to ratify the 13th amendment before readmission, which was a necessary step to abolish slavery, not a failure of the plan.

What did the 1896 Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson declare?

• Separate, but equal public facilities were legal and Constitutional

• Separate, but equal schools were unconstitutional and made Black Americans feel inferior

• Slavery was unconstitutional due to the 13th amendment

• Farmers had to employ a certain percentage of freedpeople on their farms with sharecropping

Answer explanation

The 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the legality of racial segregation, declaring that separate public facilities for Black and white individuals were constitutional as long as they were equal.

The biggest goal of Radical Republicans in Congress during Johnson's presidency was:

• Providing support for the Black Codes

• Preventing the passage of the 15th amendment

• Offering unwavering support to President Johnson

• Limiting the power of former Confederates and ensuring rights for Black Americans

Answer explanation

The Radical Republicans aimed to limit the influence of former Confederates and protect the rights of Black Americans, contrasting with Johnson's lenient policies towards the South.

During the later years of the Reconstruction Era, white Southerners regained control of Southern governments. How did they manage to do this?

• They eliminated the Black Codes

• Limited the voting rights of African Americans

• Forced most African Americans to move East

• Eliminated sharecropping on former plantations

Answer explanation

White Southerners regained control by limiting the voting rights of African Americans through measures like literacy tests and poll taxes, effectively disenfranchising them and restoring white dominance in Southern governments.

What was one form of backlash to Reconstruction?

• The formation of violent groups like the Ku Klux Klan

• Sixteen Black men were elected to Congress

• African Americans received education

• Congress passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments

Answer explanation

One form of backlash to Reconstruction was the formation of violent groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which aimed to intimidate and oppress African Americans and undermine their newly gained rights.

What was a positive effect on African Americans during the Reconstruction Era?

• African Americans & White Americans immediately integrated and formed a harmonious society.

• A secret society of Black men dedicated their lives protecting secret treasure

• Black farmers were able to sharecrop to gain wealth and status in the South

• Passage of the Reconstruction Amendments

Answer explanation

The passage of the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) was a significant positive effect for African Americans, as it abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and secured voting rights, laying the foundation for future civil rights.

What effect did sharecropping have on African-Americans during Reconstruction?

• Enabled freedmen to become plantation owners.

• Forced freedpeople to move westward on the Oregon Trail

• Drove freedpeople into a cycle of debt and poverty; slavery under a new name

• Helped freedpeople establish flourishing communities in the South

Answer explanation

Sharecropping trapped African-Americans in a cycle of debt and poverty, as they often had to borrow against future crops, leading to conditions similar to slavery, thus making the correct choice about its negative impact.