#AP US History: Reconstruction Study Guide

Hey there! Let's get you prepped for the APUSH exam. We're going to break down Reconstruction, focusing on the key stuff you need to know. Think of this as your cheat sheet for tonight! Let's dive in!

#Reconstruction Loopholes & Resistance

Reconstruction was supposed to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society, but it faced HUGE resistance. Key takeaway: Amendments had loopholes, and the South found ways to keep Black people down.

#13th Amendment: Slavery Abolished (Kind Of)

The 13th Amendment officially ended slavery and involuntary servitude, but...

• Convict Leasing: 😠 States leased out prisoners (mostly Black people) to private companies for labor, often under terrible conditions. Basically, slavery by another name.

• Sharecropping: 👨‍🌾 Landowners allowed tenants (often formerly enslaved people) to farm land in exchange for a share of the crops. This system kept many Black families in debt and tied to the land. It was a cycle of poverty and dependence.

Image: A depiction of sharecropping, highlighting the economic challenges faced by Black farmers.

#14th Amendment: Citizenship & Equal Protection (Sort Of)

The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., but...

• Black Codes: 📜 Laws passed in the South to control the movement and behavior of newly freed Black people, restricting their rights to property, work, and legal representation.
• Vagrancy Laws: 🏘️ Criminalized homelessness and unemployment, forcing many Black people into involuntary labor.
• Jim Crow Laws: 🎭 Segregation laws that mandated racial separation in public spaces and institutions. "Separate but equal" was the justification, but it was NEVER equal.
• Supreme Court Undermining: 🏛️

  • Slaughterhouse Cases: ⚖️ Weakened the 14th Amendment by saying its protections only applied to federal citizenship, not state citizenship.

  • Cruikshank Case: ⚖️ Ruled that the federal government couldn't prosecute individuals for violating Black civil rights, leaving it up to the states.

Image: A visual representation of Jim Crow era segregation, showcasing the stark racial divide.

#15th Amendment: Voting Rights (Not Really)

The 15th Amendment granted Black men the right to vote, but...

• Violence and Intimidation: 💥 White supremacist groups like the KKK used violence to prevent Black people from voting. The Colfax Massacre is a tragic example of this.

• Poll Taxes: 💰 Required people to pay a fee to vote, which many Black people couldn't afford.

• Literacy Tests: ✍️ Difficult, subjective tests designed to prevent Black people from voting, even if they were literate.

• Grandfather Clauses: 👴 Allowed people to vote if their grandfathers were eligible before the Civil War, exempting most white people from literacy tests while excluding Black people.

json
   {
    "multiple_choice": [
      {
        "question": "Which of the following best describes the primary goal of the Black Codes enacted in the Southern states after the Civil War?",
        "options": [
          "A) To promote racial integration in schools and public facilities",
          "B) To guarantee equal voting rights for all male citizens",
          "C) To restrict the rights and freedoms of newly freed African Americans",
          "D) To provide economic opportunities for formerly enslaved people"
        ],
        "answer": "C"
      },
       {
        "question": "The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) had what effect on American society?",
        "options": [
          "A) It outlawed segregation in public schools",
          "B) It upheld the principle of 'separate but equal,' legitimizing segregation",
          "C) It established federal protection for voting rights",
          "D) It mandated equal pay for equal work regardless of race"
        ],
        "answer": "B"
      }
    ],
    "short_answer": "Briefly explain how the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were undermined by actions in the South during Reconstruction.",
    "free_response": {
      "question": "Analyze the ways in which the Reconstruction era (1865-1877) failed to achieve its goals of racial equality and integration. Consider political, economic, and social factors in your response.",
      "scoring_breakdown": [
        "Thesis (1 point): A clear, historically defensible thesis that addresses the prompt.",
        "Evidence (2-3 points): Provides specific historical evidence to support the thesis. Examples include Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, sharecropping, violence by the KKK, and Supreme Court cases like Plessy v. Ferguson.",
        "Analysis (2-3 points): Explains how the evidence supports the thesis and demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of Reconstruction. Analysis should address political, economic, and social factors.",
        "Contextualization (1 point): Connects Reconstruction to broader historical developments, such as the legacy of slavery or the rise of industrialization.",
         "Synthesis (1 point): Extends the argument by connecting it to a different time period, situation, or historical context (e.g., the Civil Rights Movement)."
      ]
     }
   }

#Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

These were derogatory terms used by Southern Democrats for their Republican rivals:

• Scalawags: 🐍 White Southerners who supported the Republican Party and Reconstruction. They were seen as traitors by other white Southerners.

• Carpetbaggers: 💼 Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction for economic and political opportunities. They were viewed as opportunistic outsiders.

#Grant’s Presidency and Scandal

The Grant administration was marked by corruption and scandal:

• Gold Market Scheme: 💰 Wall Street financiers tried to corner the gold market with the help of Grant's brother-in-law.

• Credit Mobilier Affair: 🚂 Insiders gave stock to Congressmen to avoid investigation of their huge profits from government subsidies for building the transcontinental railroad.

• Whiskey Ring: 🥃 Federal revenue agents conspired with the liquor industry to defraud the government of millions in taxes.

• Secretary of War Impeachment: 🪖 Grant's Secretary of War was impeached for taking bribes for selling Indian trading posts.

Image: A portrait of Ulysses S. Grant, whose presidency was marred by corruption scandals.

#Reconstruction Ends

Reconstruction failed due to Southern resistance and Northern fatigue. Key events:

• Enforcement Acts: 💪 Initially helped eliminate the KKK by 1871, but resistance continued.

• Compromise of 1877: 🤝 Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) became president. In exchange, the military occupation of the South ended (Bayonet Rule), and Southern Democrats promised to respect Black rights (which they didn't).

#The New South

Vision for a post-Reconstruction South:

• Industrialization: 🏭 The "New South" aimed to shift from an agrarian economy to one based on factories, mines, and mills, similar to the North.

json
   {
    "multiple_choice": [
       {
        "question": "Which of the following was a significant factor in the end of Reconstruction in the United States?",
        "options": [
          "A) The successful integration of all Southern states",
          "B) The passage of new federal laws ensuring racial equality",
          "C) The Compromise of 1877, which withdrew federal troops from the South",
          "D) The full enforcement of the 14th and 15th Amendments"
        ],
        "answer": "C"
      },
      {
        "question": "The term 'New South' refers to:",
        "options": [
          "A) The social and political reforms implemented during Reconstruction",
          "B) The vision for a post-Reconstruction South focused on industrialization",
          "C) The return to a purely agrarian economy in the South",
          "D) The complete integration of Black and white communities in the South"
        ],
        "answer": "B"
      }
    ],
    "short_answer": "Explain the significance of the Compromise of 1877 in ending Reconstruction.",
     "free_response": {
      "question": "To what extent did the goals of Reconstruction succeed in transforming the South between 1865 and 1877?",
      "scoring_breakdown": [
        "Thesis (1 point): A clear, historically defensible thesis that addresses the extent of Reconstruction's success.",
        "Evidence (2-3 points): Provides specific historical evidence to support the thesis. Examples include the Reconstruction Amendments, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, the rise of the KKK, and the Compromise of 1877.",
        "Analysis (2-3 points): Explains how the evidence supports the thesis and demonstrates an understanding of the successes and failures of Reconstruction. Analysis should address political, economic, and social changes.",
        "Contextualization (1 point): Connects the successes and failures of Reconstruction to broader historical developments, such as the legacy of slavery or the rise of industrialization.",
        "Synthesis (1 point): Extends the argument by connecting it to a different time period, situation, or historical context (e.g., the Civil Rights Movement)."
      ]
     }
   }

#Final Exam Focus

Okay, you're almost there! Here's what to focus on for the exam:

• Key Amendments: 13th, 14th, and 15th and how they were undermined.

• Reconstruction Failures: Understand the loopholes, resistance, and why Reconstruction didn't achieve its goals.

• Compromise of 1877: Know how it ended Reconstruction.

• "New South": Understand the vision for industrialization.

• Common Question Types: Expect multiple-choice questions on specific laws, amendments, and events, and FRQs that ask you to analyze the successes and failures of Reconstruction.

You've got this! Review these notes, take a deep breath, and go ace that exam! 🚀