Civil War and Reconstruction Era Quiz

North vs. South

The North had an industrial/manufacturing economy, higher population, and extensive railroad networks, while the South relied on an agricultural economy with a focus on cash crops like cotton and utilized enslaved labor, also having a home field advantage.

Tension and Events

Disagreements over state power vs federal power expansion of slavery into western territories, and North’s growing population giving more power to the House of Representatives, making South fear abolition of slavery. (Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Red Scott decision, Lincoln’s election in 1860).

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed these new territories to vote on slavery via popular sovereignty, leading to clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Supreme Court ruling African Americans were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in the territories according to the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which created separation between North and South.

John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry

Abolitionist John Brown attempted an armed slave revolt which failed but terrified South slaveowners.

Election of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln won presidency without winning a single Southern state. Believing Lincoln would end slavery, South Carolina seceded in December of 1860 followed by six other states. oF

Fort Sumter

Confederate forces fired on the federal fort in Charleston, SC, marking the start of the war.

Causes of Bread Riots

Union naval blockades and farm destruction limited food supplies in the Confederacy. Confederacy printing too much money for flour and meat to skyrocket. Women in Virginia (Richmond Bread Riot) looted stores and food until military forces intervened.

The Anaconda Plan

Blockade Southern ports, gained control of the Mississippi River and capture the Confederate flag

Confederate Strategy

Fight a defensive war of attrition to wear down Northern public support. Secure diplomatic recognition and financial support from European powers (Britain/France) through "Cotton Diplomacy".

First Battle of Bull Run

First major land battle; proved the war would be long and costly, shattering Union hopes for a quick victory.

Battle of Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle in American history; Union victory allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major turning point; stopped Lee's invasion of the North and permanently weakened the Confederate army.

Siege of Vicksburg

Gave the Union total control of the Mississippi River, fulfilling a core goal of the Anaconda Plan.

Appomattox Court House (1865):

General Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the war.

The Emancipation Proclamation

Freed enslaved people only in states currently in rebellion against the Union. (It did not immediately free slaves in Union-loyal Border States and issued by Abraham Lincoln). Allowing freed African Americans into the war, prevented Europeans from intervening, and to end slavery instead of preserve the Union.

African Americans and the Civil War

Over 180,000 Black soldiers served in the Union Army and Navy. Served in segregated units led by white officers and initially received lower pay. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, an all-Black regiment known for its heroics at the attack on Fort Wagner.Black soldiers captured by the Confederacy faced potential re-enslavement or execution rather than being treated as prisoners of war.

Conditions and Medical Care for Soldiers

Disease (dysentery, typhoid, malaria) killed twice as many soldiers as battlefield combat due to poor sanitation and contaminated water. Modern germ theory did not exist; surgeons rarely sanitized tools, leading to widespread infection. Amputation was the standard treatment for bullet-shattered limbs to prevent gangrene. POW camps like Andersonville (Confederacy) suffered from extreme overcrowding, starvation, and exposure

The Role Women Played in the War

Managed field hospitals and organized medical supplies (e.g., Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and Dorothea Dix) Gathered intelligence behind enemy lines (e.g., Harriet Tubman, who also led an armed assault in South Carolina, and Rose O'Neal Greenhow).Ran farms, plantations, and businesses; worked in government offices and munitions manufacturing to replace enlisted men.

Abraham Lincoln’s Plan After the Civil War

The 10% Plan (Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, 1863): A lenient policy designed to quickly readmit Southern states to the Union. 

Terms: Once 10% of a Confederate state's voters took an oath of allegiance to the Union and agreed to abide by emancipation, that state could form a new government and elect representatives. 

Pardon Policy: Offered general amnesty to most former Confederates, excluding high-ranking military and political leaders.

Goal: Lincoln wanted a swift, peaceful restoration of the country without heavy punishment ("with malice toward none").

Conditions for Southern States to Reenter the United States

Presidential Reconstruction (Andrew Johnson's Plan):

Required Southern states to declare secession illegal, swear loyalty to the Union, and ratify the 13th Amendment.

Granted widespread pardons to former Confederates, which allowed many pre-war Southern elites to regain power quickly.

Congressional/Radical Reconstruction (1867 Military Reconstruction Acts):

Divided the former Confederacy into 5 military districts commanded by Union generals.

Strict Requirements:

1. Write new state constitutions guaranteeing voting rights for African American men.

2. Ratify the 14th Amendment (and later the 15th Amendment). 

3. Deny political office to high-ranking former Confederate officials until pardoned by Congress.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

13tb Amendment (1865): Formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. 

14th Amendment (1868):

Granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved individuals. 

Guaranteed equal protection under the law and due process, overturning the Dred Scott decision. 

15th Amendment (1870): Prohibited states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (granted voting rights to African American men). 

Sharecropping

What It Was: An economic system that replaced slavery on Southern plantations. Landowners provided land, seeds, and tools to farmers (sharecroppers) in exchange for a portion (share) of the harvested crops. 

The Debt Trap: Landowners and local merchants charged high interest rates for supplies on credit. Crop yields were rarely enough to pay off debts, forcing sharecroppers into an ongoing cycle of debt peonage. 

Impact: Bound both Black freedmen and poor white farmers to the land, severely limiting their economic mobility and independence. 

The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Origin: Founded in Tennessee in 1865 by Confederate veterans as a secret vigilante group. 

Primary Tactics & Goals: Used violence, intimidation, lynchings, and terror to restore white supremacy. 

Specific Targets: Targeted African Americans (especially those seeking to vote, hold office, or own land) and white Republican politicians ("carpetbaggers" and "scalawags"). 

Federal Response: Congress passed the Enforcement Acts (Ku Klux Klan Acts) in 1870–1871, authorizing federal troops and federal courts to suppress Klan violence and protect voters.