Name:
Date:
Core:
U.S. History
Reconstruction Era Quiz
Review Questions II
Directions: Answer all of the following questions without the use of your notes/handouts. Circle the questions
that you have difficulty with and then look up the correct answers.
1.
Which of the following best describes the Confiscation Act of 1862?
a. A law requiring southern men between the ages of 18 and 35 (eventually extended to men
through age 70) to serve in the Confederate Army. It established a military draft.
b. Initiated by Union General Sherman, it gave all of the land along the southern coastline (up to 30
miles inland) to freedmen. Each family would be given 40 acres and a mule.
c. A law stating that the Union Army would return all of the Confederate land that they confiscated
during the Civil War back to the original owners when the war ended.
d. A law that gave former slaves the right to vote. When Lincoln signed this law, John Wilkes
decided to assassinate the president (which he did, two weeks later).
(Reconstruction Part 1: The Issues of Land Ownership handout)
2. What was Special Field Order No. 15? __________________________________________________________
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(Reconstruction Part 1: The Issues of Land Ownership handout)
3.
Thomas Hall, a former slave, said the following after President Andrew Johnson repealed Special Field
Order No. 15, “Lincoln got the praise for freeing us, but did he do it? He gave us freedom without giving us
any chance to live ourselves and we still have to depend on the southern white man for work, food and
clothing…” Explain why Thomas Hall believed that Lincoln did not “truly” free the slaves.
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(Reconstruction Part 1: The Issues of Land Ownership handout)
4. What are two things that the Freedman’s Bureau did for former slaves? Which president created the
Freedman’s Bureau? _______________________________________________________________________
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(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
5.
Which of the following best describes the Reconstruction Acts of 1867?
a. A law written by Lincoln that provided $15 billion dollars in taxpayer money for the rebuilding of
homes, factories and railroad lines that had been destroyed by the Confederate Army.
Southerners were more heavily taxed as punishment for their involvement in the war.
b. A law that divided the south into five military districts so that the army could make sure that the
south was enforcing laws that promoted racial equality. It also required that southern states ratify
the 14th Amendment if they wanted to be readmitted to the Union.
c. A law that gave African Americans the right to vote and it also stated that all persons born in the
United States were automatically citizens of the U.S. and had access to all of rights guaranteed in
the Constitution.
(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
6.
What were the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
7.
Who were Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce? ____________________________________________________
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(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
8. Give two specific examples of how black codes limited the rights of African Americans. ________________
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(From Bad to Good to Worse: Reconstruction Era Part 3 handout)
9.
Which of the following best describes the progression of the civil rights of African Americans in the United
States?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Between 1619 and 1850, the rights of African Americans were pretty good. It was not until 1850 when
slavery became legal in all states, that things got really bad for African Americans. Then when the first black
codes were passed in 1870, things got even worse.
Between 1619 and 1865, the rights of African Americans were very limited. African Americans who were
enslaved had no rights whatsoever. When Slavery was officially ended in 1865, the rights of African
Americans improved for a brief period with the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. However,
when black codes were introduced, the rights of African Americans were limited once again.
Between 1619 and 1877, the rights of African Americans were really bad. Things did not improve for African
Americans until 15 years after the Civil War in 1880 when the Africans Americans were finally freed from
slavery. However things did not greatly improve until 1977 when the 15th Amendment was finally ratified
and African Americans voted for the first time.
All of the above.
(From Bad to Good to Worse: Reconstruction Era Part 3 handout)