ANSWER KEY
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.
d.
2.
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.
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)
What was Special Field Order No. 15? Special
Field Order #15 was issued by US General
Sherman. It stated that the entire southern coastline (up to 30 miles inland) would be
given to freedmen. Each family would receive 40 acres and a mule. The intent of the
order was to give former slaves economic independence (so they would not be
dependent on white southerners to earn a living). It was repealed in June of 1865 by
President Andrew Johnson.
(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Thomas Hall, a former slave, said the following after President Andrew Johnson repealed Special Field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.
Hall was angry that Lincoln and the federal government did not provide slaves with the
things they needed to be truly independent. Most slaves had nothing (skills, material
possessions, money) when they were granted freedom. In order to truly be free, Hall
believed that people needed to be independent.
(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? The
Freedmen’s Bureau helped establish schools for former slaves,
helped to reunite families that had been separated, provided medical care to former
slaves, etc…
(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.
6.
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)
What were the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
This Amendment granted citizenship rights to
all people born in the United States (which
officially made former slaves citizens of this
country and entitled to the protection of the
Constitution)
This amendment granted voting rights to all
Americans regardless of their skin color, race
or previous condition of servitude
(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
7.
Who were Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce? They
were both the first black men to serve as U.S.
Senators (they were from Mississippi)
(Reconstruction 2: From Slavery to Freedom handout)
8.
Give two specific examples of how black codes limited the rights of African Americans
African Americans were not allowed to own guns or gather in large groups.
African Americans had to have their jobs approved by whites
The courts had the power to separate African American families.
(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.
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
a ga i n.