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WorksheetsCivil War - Causes, Battles and Reconstruction
Total questions: 29
Worksheet time: 29mins
Why did John Brown attack a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859?
to obtain guns to use to capture escaped slaves
to obtain guns to arm slaves and carry out a rebellion
to convince the federal government to invade the South
to convince the Northern states to secede from the Union
The painting shows Brown and Douglass discussing Brown's plan to lead an attack on Harpers Ferry. Douglass did not think it was a good idea.
Based on your knowledge of social studies, what was MOST LIKELY the reason Douglass objected?
Douglass believed that only a violent revolution could end slavery.
Douglass believed that slavery was important to the national
economy.
Douglass believed that the attack would lead to a war between the
states.
Douglass believed that the attack would anger people and hurt
Brown's cause.
How did Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin help cause the Civil War?
by increasing discrimination against African Americans in the North
by increasing demands for the government to end slavery in all states
by causing the federal government to increase taxes in Southern
states
by convincing Southerners they should not buy goods made in the
North
John Brown angered many Southerners because he threatened to change their way of life. How did his actions do so?
He destroyed railroads that farmers used to ship their crops.
He burned the cotton crops that farmers sold to make a living.
He wanted to free the slaves, who did much of the work in the South.
He attacked the British, who bought most of the cotton grown in the
South.
Which difference between the North and South helped caused the Civil War?
There were more slaves in the South, and wealthy slaveowners
believed their way of life would be destroyed if the federal
government outlawed slavery.
There were more factories in the South, and many factory
workers believed their way of life would be destroyed if the federal
government raised taxes.
There were more shipping companies in the South, and boat builders believed they would not have enough business if the federal government outlawed foreign trade.
There were more American Indians in the South, and many farmers
believed they would not have enough labor if the federal government forced the American Indians to move.
During the period before the Civil War, Southern leaders argued that the idea of states' rights meant that
each state had the legal right to secede from the United States.
the constitutions of each state were the supreme laws within the
states' territories.
states had the right to make separate treaties with the American
Indians.
federal laws did not apply in a state unless that state's senators
voted for them.
Look at the drawing of a scene from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Then answer the question that follows.
Based on the drawing and your knowledge of social studies, what did Stowe hope to achieve by publishing Uncle Tom's Cabin? Choose 2 Answers
She wanted to help people understand the horrors of slavery.
She wanted to convince people that all Northerners were kind.
She wanted to convince people to fight to end the practice of slavery.
She wanted to convince people that all Southerners were bad people.
She wanted to help people understand the economic importance of
slavery.
What made the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in the Civil War?
The Union victory convinced Great Britain to support the Union.
The Confederate victory convinced France to support the Confederacy.
The Confederate victory allowed the Confederacy to capture Union
territory.
The Union victory forced the Confederacy to stop advancing into Union territory.
Look at the map showing Sherman's March to the Sea. Then answer the question that follows.
What was the goal of Sherman's March to the Sea?
to recruit American Indians to fight for the Union
to destroy Confederate supply lines in Georgia
to capture Confederate naval bases in Georgia
to control important harbors in the South
The first battle of the Civil War took place at
Atlanta.
Appomattox.
Gettysburg.
Fort Sumter.
During the Civil War, the Atlanta Campaign took place as a result of which turn of events?
a Union victory in Florida
a Union defeat in Alabama
a Union victory in Tennessee
a Union defeat in South Carolina
Which two people met face-to-face at the Appomattox Court House in 1865?
Jefferson Davis and Ulysses S. Grant
Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln
Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln
Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant
Robert E. Lee opposed secession before the Civil War. Why did he fight for the Confederacy instead of the Union?
He was loyal to the state of Virginia, and Virginia seceded.
He was bitter about his loss in the 1860 presidential election.
He was offered the Confederate presidency in return for leading their army.
He was loyal to Jefferson Davis, under whom he once served in the
military.
Why was Jefferson Davis a popular choice for president of the Confederate States of America?
He was a famous hero of the American Revolution.
He was a famous hero of the Mexican-American War.
He was well known because he helped write the US Constitution.
He was well known because he helped lead a raid on Harpers Ferry.
What did Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation do when it took effect?
It freed all slaves in the United States.
It freed all slaves in the Confederacy.
It granted freed slaves the right to vote.
It gave freed slaves a plot of land to farm.
Look at the stamp showing General William T. Sherman. Then answer the question that follows.
Why did the government honor General Sherman with a stamp?
because he helped Texas win its independence from Mexico
because he helped lead the Union to victory during the Civil War
because he helped American forces achieve victory during the War of 1812
because he helped the United States win its independence from Great Britain
During the March to the Sea, General William T. Sherman ordered his men to steal food, kill farm animals, and destroy railroads and factories. What was this called?
just war
lightning war
moral war
total war
After General Robert E. Lee agreed to peace and ended the Civil War at Appomattox Court House, General Ulysses S. Grant did not allow his troops to fire their weapons in celebration. Which is the MOST LIKELY reason he gave this order?
Grant did not want Lee to think that he was being tricked after
agreeing to peace.
Grant wanted to save ammunition because they were running low
after the battle.
Grant wanted to show the rebels respect because they were going to rejoin the Union.
Grant did not want to disturb the townspeople any more than they
already had.
How were the Civil War's effects on the North and South different or similar?
Railroads were destroyed in the North and South and both struggled
to recover.
Reuniting the divided country helped both the North and South quickly recover.
The North struggled to recover, while the South recovered quickly.
The South struggled to recover, while the North recovered quickly.
Look at the map of the United States. Then answer the questions that follow. Which numeral represents the site of the largest and bloodiest battle of the Civil War?
I
II
III
IV
Why was the Thirteenth Amendment necessary even after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
because the Emancipation Proclamation did not extend the right to
vote to African Americans
because the Emancipation Proclamation did not extend the rights of
citizenship to African Americans
because the Emancipation Proclamation had only outlawed slavery in states that had rebelled against the Union
because the Emancipation Proclamation had only outlawed slavery in states that had remained loyal to the Union
Vanessa is putting together a table about the Reconstruction-era amendments by describing the main focus of each. Which answer choice correctly completes Vanessa's table?
I: to enfranchise African Americans
II: to outlaw the practice of slavery
III: to grant citizenship to African Americans
I: to grant citizenship to African Americans
II: to outlaw the practice of slavery
III: to enfranchise African Americans
I: to outlaw the practice of slavery
II: to grant citizenship to African Americans
III: to enfranchise African Americans
I: to outlaw the practice of slavery
II: to enfranchise African Americans
III: to grant citizenship to African Americans
Which of the following was founded by the US government to provide housing, medical care, and education to former slaves and poor whites in the South during Reconstruction?
the Freedmen's Bureau
the Red Cross
the Tennessee Valley Authority
the Underground Railroad
Why was the Freedmen's Bureau necessary?
Southern farm owners could not find enough workers.
The federal government needed a federal police force.
Former slaves were struggling to find food and shelter.
Southern states needed help rebuilding infrastructure.
What led to the development of sharecropping in the South during Reconstruction?
Former slaves were unable to buy their own land.
Federal laws prohibited former slaves from owning land.
The federal government distributed farmland to former slaves.
Large landowners wanted to help former slaves find farm work.
How did the system of sharecropping work during Reconstruction?
The government took land away from plantation owners and gave it
to former slaves.
Landowners agreed to pay farmers a fair wage for helping to harvest crops in their fields.
The government paid landowners who were willing to hire poor
farmers in search of work.
Landowners allowed farmers to use their fields in exchange for a
share of the crop they grew.
Which of the following is NOT a way that African Americans in the South were prevented from voting during Reconstruction?
applying poll taxes
hiding voting locations
using threats and violence
requiring reading tests
Which of the following would have been a typical Jim Crow law?
a law forbidding the creation or distribution of alcohol by any person
a law making it illegal to require citizens to pay a fee in order to vote
a law requiring African American children and white children to attend different schools
a law prohibiting businesses from denying people service based on
the color of their skin
What was the MAIN goal of Jim Crow laws passed during Reconstruction?
to protect African Americans from discrimination
to create economic opportunities for African Americans
to help the government better represent African Americans
to prevent African Americans from exercising their legal rights
