CHAPTERS

I. Introduction to Reconstruction

• Reconstruction was the effort to rebuild the South and integrate freed slaves into American society.

• Faced challenges of redefining freedom, citizenship, and rights amid Southern resistance.

II. Presidential Reconstruction

• Abraham Lincoln’s Plan: The Ten Percent Plan required 10% of Southern voters to pledge loyalty to the Union and accept emancipation.

• Andrew Johnson’s Approach: Johnson, Lincoln's successor, adopted a lenient policy:

  • Offered broad pardons to ex-Confederates.

  • Allowed Southern states to enact Black Codes, restricting African American freedoms.

  • His approach led to conflicts with Congress, resulting in his impeachment, though he was not removed from office.

III. Radical (Congressional) Reconstruction

• Radical Republicans like Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner pushed for civil rights and tougher terms for Southern readmission.

• Civil Rights Act of 1866: First law to grant citizenship and equal rights to African Americans.

• Reconstruction Acts of 1867: Divided the South into military districts, enforced new state constitutions, and demanded ratification of the 14th Amendment.

• Key Amendments:

  • 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery.

  • 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship and equal protection.

  • 15th Amendment (1870): Prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

IV. The Freedmen's Bureau and African American Progress

• The Freedmen’s Bureau provided assistance with food, education, and legal matters.

• African Americans achieved political gains:

  • Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce became the first African American U.S. Senators.

  • Increased participation in local, state, and federal governments.

V. Resistance and the Rise of White Supremacy

• Black Codes and Jim Crow laws sought to undermine African American rights.

• White supremacist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), used violence to intimidate voters.

• The Enforcement Acts (1870-1871) aimed to curb KKK activities but had limited long-term impact.

VI. Economic Challenges: Sharecropping and Labor Struggles

• Sharecropping: A labor system where freedmen worked land in exchange for a share of the crop.

  • Often resulted in debt peonage, trapping African Americans in poverty.

• Tenant farming offered slightly more independence but still perpetuated economic hardship.

VII. The End of Reconstruction

• The Compromise of 1877 resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election.

  • Rutherford B. Hayes became president in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South.

  • Marked the end of Reconstruction and the return of Redeemer governments.

• Led to the erosion of civil rights and the establishment of discriminatory laws for decades.

VIII. Legacy of Reconstruction

• Achievements included the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which laid the foundation for future civil rights advancements.

• However, the period failed to achieve lasting equality due to systemic racism and political compromises.

• The struggle for African American rights would continue into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century.

Key Themes for a Test:

• Differences between Presidential and Radical Reconstruction.

• The impact of the Freedmen’s Bureau and Reconstruction Amendments.

• The role of African American leaders during Reconstruction.

• The influence of white supremacist groups and Black Codes.

• The significance of the Compromise of 1877 and its consequences.

Chapter 17 of The American Yawp, titled "Conquering the West", covers the late 19th-century westward expansion of the United States and its profound effects on Native Americans, settlers, industries, and the environment. Below is a comprehensive overview suitable for college-level test preparation.

I. Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny

• Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century belief that Americans were destined to expand westward, spreading democracy and civilization.

• Federal Policies:

  • Homestead Act (1862): Provided 160 acres of public land to settlers willing to live on and improve it for five years, promoting settlement and development of the Great Plains.

  • Pacific Railway Act (1862): Funded the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, which connected the East and West coasts, reducing travel time and boosting commerce.

II. Native American Displacement and Resistance

• Indian Wars: Series of conflicts as settlers encroached on Native lands:
  
  

  • Sand Creek Massacre (1864): Colorado militia attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho village, killing over 150 people, mostly women and children.

  • Battle of Little Bighorn (1876): Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeated George Custer’s 7th Cavalry. This was a rare Native American victory.

  • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890): U.S. Army killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux during the suppression of the Ghost Dance Movement, marking the end of armed Native resistance in the West.

• Federal Assimilation Policies:
  
  

  • Dawes Act (1887): Aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots, promoting private property and agriculture. This resulted in significant loss of tribal land and undermined Native culture.

  • Boarding Schools: Native children were taken from their families and placed in schools to "Americanize" them, often through abusive and repressive practices.

III. Settler Life in the West

• Diverse Populations:
  
  

  • European Immigrants: Came for land opportunities and economic prosperity.

  • African Americans: Known as Exodusters, many moved to Kansas and other Western states to escape discrimination and find new opportunities.

  • Chinese Immigrants: Contributed significantly to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, but faced severe discrimination, leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), which banned Chinese labor immigration.

• Women in the West:
  
  

  • Women found more opportunities to own land and participate in public life than in other regions.

  • Western states like Wyoming were early adopters of women's suffrage, influenced by the need to attract settlers and the frontier ethos of equality.

IV. Economic Development and Industry

• Mining: Discovery of gold, silver, and other minerals led to mining booms and the rise of boomtowns, which often turned to ghost towns once resources were depleted.
  
  

• Ranching: The cattle industry thrived with open-range grazing and cattle drives along trails like the Chisholm Trail, connecting ranches to railroads.
  
  

• Farming: Innovations such as barbed wire, windmills, and dry farming techniques helped settlers adapt to the harsh environment of the Great Plains.
  
  

• Environmental Impact:
  
  

  • Overhunting, particularly of the buffalo, devastated Native American economies and ecosystems.

  • Deforestation, mining operations, and railroad construction caused lasting changes to the landscape.

V. Myth vs. Reality of the "Wild West"

• Mythology: Popular culture romanticized the West through dime novels, Wild West shows like Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and the depiction of cowboys, gunslingers, and frontier justice.

• Reality: Life in the West was marked by hardship, economic struggles, and frequent violence. Many settlers lived in isolation and poverty, and conflict with Native Americans and other settlers was common.

VI. Federal Land Policies and Conflicts

• Morrill Act (1862): Established land-grant colleges to promote agricultural and technical education, contributing to the development of public universities.

• Timber Culture Act (1873) and Desert Land Act (1877): Encouraged further settlement but often led to land speculation and exploitation.

VII. The Closing of the Frontier

• Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis (1893): Argued that the frontier was crucial in shaping American democracy, individualism, and innovation. Suggested that the "closing" of the frontier signaled the end of an era of American development.

• By the 1890s, the U.S. Census Bureau declared the frontier "closed," symbolizing the transition from expansion to internal development and industrialization.

VIII. Key Takeaways for a College Test:

• Understand the motivations, methods, and consequences of federal policies like the Homestead Act, Dawes Act, and Chinese Exclusion Act.

• Be familiar with the major conflicts, treaties, and assimilation strategies involving Native Americans.

• Recognize the economic, social, and environmental impacts of westward expansion.

• Distinguish between the romanticized image of the "Wild West" and historical realities.

• Consider the implications of Turner's Frontier Thesis on American identity and future policy directions.