Name: ___________________#___
Reconstruction Study Guide
Terms to know:
 ______________________ was the period following the Civil War in which Congress
passed laws designed to rebuild the country and bring the southern states back
into the Union.
 _____________________ is the separation of people, usually based on race or religion.
 _____________________ is an unfair difference in the treatment of people.
Problems faced by Virginians during Reconstruction:
 Millions of freed slaves needed ________________, _________________,
________________, and ____________________.
 Virginia’s economy was in ruins:
o Virginia was in _____________ (and owed over 45 million dollars)
o Banks were closed because the _______________________ money was
worthless
o __________________, ___________________, _______________, and
______________________ were all destroyed
Measures taken to resolve problems:
 What government agency did Congress create in response to these problems?
_______________________________________________
 What did the Freedman’s Bureau do? ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
 What was a popular system of agriculture that developed to help solve the farming
problems? ________________________________________
 How did sharecropping work? _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Economic development:
 What are the three main things that contributed to Virginia’s economic growth
after the civil war? __________________, ________________________, and
__________________
 ________________________ were a key to the expansion of businesses, agriculture,
and industry. They facilitated the growth of small towns to cities.
 Important towns and cities that grew as a result of railroads include
_____________________ in southwest Virginia; ___________________ our capital; and
___________________ and _____________________ in the Coastal Plain region.
 ______________________________ were discovered in Tazewell County which is in the
___________________________________ region of Virginia. This became a source of
livelihood for residents of southwest Virginia.
 ___________________ farming and ___________________ products became important
Virginia industries, and it once again became a
__________________________________.
Reconstruction
 During Reconstruction, blacks began to have power in Virginia’s government, and
men of all races could vote. (Hmm… this might be a good true/false question…)
 After Reconstruction, these gains were lost when ________________________ laws
were passed by southern states.
 “Jim Crow” Laws established ___________________ or separation of the races and
reinforced prejudices held by whites.
Jim Crow laws had an effect on the lives of blacks:
 __________________ and _______________________ were established to keep black
men from voting.
 Blacks found it very difficult to vote or hold public office.
 Blacks were forced to use separate facilities like…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Be able to put events like this in order on a timeline … Remember, I’m going to keep
adapting/building on to this timeline on every test! I HIGHLY suggest you use the
flashcards we made in class to help you study. Shuffle them up and lay them out in order.
Make sure you add any new events to those flashcards!!
1. Native Americans lived in Virginia.
2. Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement. (1607)
3. John Smith started a trading relationship with the Powhatan Indians.
4. Africans arrived in Jamestown. (1619)
5. Women arrived in Jamestown. (1620)
6. The French & Indian War began (and ended).
7. The Declaration of Independence was written. (1776)
8. The Revolutionary War ended. (1781)
9. A new government was created at the Constitutional Convention. (1787)
10. George Washington became our first President. (1788)
11. The “Underground Railroad” helps lead slaves to freedom in the North.
12. Abraham Lincoln is elected President/SC leaves the Union
13. The Civil War ends (1865)
14. Congress created the Freedman’s Bureau to help former slaves*
15. “Jim Crow” laws were passed in some southern states* 
16. You were born.