Social Studies 9.3

What group of southerners supported Republicans? Why did they support Republican policies?

They were the scalawags; they opposed secession in the first place for economic reasons; they were businessmen who felt that the South was better off connected to the north

What was a scalawag and why were they hated by most southerners?

a southerner who supported reconstruction, they were compared to small, scruffy horses because they opposed secession

Why did Northerners move South during Reconstruction? What did Southerners refer to them as?

They were called carpetbaggers, many hoped to make positive changes as to getting jobs such as teachers, doctors, social workers, and helping to rebuild the South, some wanted to exploit the South during hard times, some union soldiers fell in love with the climate and cheap land and move there.

Why were African Americans able to exercise power during Radical Reconstruction? What offices did they hold and who held the highest?

Black people gained the right to vote, while former confederates were banned from voting, they held offices such as sheriffs, mayors, councilmen, state and federal legislators, and two even served as U.S. senators- Hirem Rhodes Revels, and Blanche Kelso Bruce.

Why did most white southerners resist Reconstruction and how did they show their resistance?

They resented change being forced on them, they were willing to allow african Americans to exercise some power such as the right to vote and hold minor offices, and in the end they believed power should remain in the hands of wealthy land owners and buisnessmen. The Ku Klux Klan used terror and intimidation to reassert white supremacy.

Explain how taxation, voting rights, and corruption each contributed to southern anger and resentment

They were forced to pay high taxes while they didn’t have the right to vote, and the government was plagued by extreme corruption (people were stealing money from tax payers)

Explain why rebuilding the southern economy proved difficult following the war.

the South had to compete with other countries for their agriculture production (cotton and tobacco trade), they suffered from inflation and the destruction of their infrastructure, they lost their free labor- the slaves

What were sharecroppers and how did sharecropping keep people locked in poverty?

a system where a farmer rents land and farms it for a share of the profit, they had to borrow money from the land owners and often ended up in dept; each year they fell further behind financially and were locked in a circle of poverty.